


A Not So Unwelcome Journey

by WeStandHereUnited



Category: The Hobbit (2012), The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: (but the dwarves don't know that), Battle of Five Armies - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/M, Female!Bilbo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-07
Updated: 2015-01-12
Packaged: 2017-12-04 14:19:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 41
Words: 103,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/711670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeStandHereUnited/pseuds/WeStandHereUnited
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bella Baggins had sought out adventure and excitement as a child: she had been Bilbo the Great, the brave explorer who searched for elves in the wood and always came home trailing mud and leaves and fireflies. She had always dreamed of the world beyond her doorstep, yearned for the day she was old enough to step outside and face it, but the sudden death of her father changed all that. Bella Baggins quite lost her heart for adventure. She settled down into the quiet life, the simple life, the life that every hobbit wanted.</p><p>She might well have stayed there too, if it were not for Gandalf’s meddling. Now she was on some mad quest to reclaim Erebor from a dragon, armed with a letter-opener and surrounded by dwarves that called her Mr Bilbo Baggins (and she didn't intend to correct them).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The dwelling under the hill

**Author's Note:**

> This was my first go at fanfiction and though I started it several years ago with the release of the first film it is (evidently) still incomplete. I am getting there though and despite large periods of time between updates I intend to finish it. ((Maybe even rewrite the first half because I like to think my writing has improved since then, but it probably hasn't)).

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.

Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.

It was a quaint dwelling, that one lying under the hill: with a perfectly round green door and matching round windows. With floors tiled and carpeted, and a large number of rooms more spacious and light than outside appearance would have anyone believe.

Furnished with rather high beamed ceilings, polished wooden furniture and beautifully intricate rugs. Bedrooms and bathrooms, pantries and dining rooms, wardrobes and kitchens: this was the house of a well to do hobbit. A very well to do hobbit indeed.

This was the house Bungo Baggins had built for his wife, Belladonna Took, and this was where their only daughter, Bella Baggins, had been born and brought up.

The Bagginses had lived in the surrounding area for as long as anyone cared to remember, and long before anyone remembered had cared. There would always be a Baggins living at Bag-End, Bungo had decided as he had led his wife's first steps into their new home. It was a house he had built to endure, like all things in the Shire were built to do. This house he built to be the house of his family, of the family he would see come into the world over his life-span, and the family he would never know but would still very much be part of.

It was a very respectable house and the Bagginses were considered a very respectable lot: not only were they rich, but they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected. The same could not be said for the Tooks. Despite being more wealthy than the Bagginses, or any other family in the whole of the Shire for that matter, they were simply not respectable. The Tooks were trouble, there was no denying that. And while the Old Took, the head of the family, was undoubtedly most famous for his goings in his youth, it was no odd occurrence for any of the Tooks to disappear off on an adventure. This was not how hobbits were suppose to act, was the general opinion - an opinion at which members of the Took family would grin and laugh at in a most unbecoming way, before disappearing off for a week in spite.

Belladonna Took was one of the three daughters of the Old Took. She was, in short, everything Bungo Baggins's mother had warned him against. He was enthralled with her personality, captured by her mannerisms, too deeply and utterly in love to care.

She had had her fair share of adventures, and had no intention staying put; of settling for a simple life. Bungo would not hold her back. He loved her for her life and spirit and he told her so. He had thought that she would never want to marry him, and so he had never asked her. Tooks just loved to be unpredictable. One day she had asked him.

They were opposites. He had no great desire for adventure himself, even if he treasured her for hers. He was content to stay at home while she was out visiting new places. He worried, yes. He missed her in her absence, but she had promised: she would always come back to him, whether it be a day, a week, a month. She was never away for more than half a season for she missed him also, and soon she found herself venturing less often and for less long.

When they found that Belladonna was to have a child he was overjoyed. They were not young in their years and Bungo had always wanted a family, more than anything. Belladonna found that though she loved to explore, she had a husband and unborn child that she loved more and for a whole seven months, she stayed. He had never been happier than in that time.

But Bungo Baggins had been sadly wrong that day he had shown his wife their house. He had seen himself on that day, having grown old alongside his wife, surrounded by his many children, his grandchildren and great grandchildren running through the halls...but that would never come to pass. There would not always be a Baggins living at Bag-End.

Bungo's life was to be a sad tale, and it would begin, and end, with the death of his wife.

Belladonna Took died in childbirth late one autumn eve in mid September.

The stars shone clear that night and Bungo, clutching the small miracle that was his daughter to his chest and crying openly in grief cursed them, because they shone as if nothing had changed, but everything had.

He was left to bring up his only child alone.

-

Bella.

There really was no other name he could consider giving his daughter. No other name could be as beautiful to him.

She was just like her mother, he saw it more and more as she grew. Her appearance held such a likeness: her golden hair, the shape of her face, everything but the colour of her eyes. They were the only thing of his: Belladonna's eyes had been blue, his daughters were brown.

He did not stop his daughter from wandering, not within the bounds of safety. She was a Took at heart, much more so than she was a Baggins. Though she did, as he, appreciate the comforts of a cup of tea and a good book.

He told her tales of distant lands. Of tall folk, great battles and kings of old. Every night he would read to her from the books his wife had left behind.

Her games made him smile. One day she was a traveler, meeting new lands and friends, another day she was a warrior fighting against evil foes, then she was King, protecting her people from harm.

King? Bungo had laughed as he plucked her up into his arms and spun her around. Boys are called Kings, Bella. Girls are Queens. His six year old daughter had been slightly put out, because the book they were reading was about a King, and that day she wanted to be him. Queen, then.

Oh? And how will you become Queen?

Sometimes Bungo would feel guilty for the dreams he gave his little girl. As Belladonna had once confined in him, her adventures were rather shielded by her family. She had often felt her freedom restricted by the simple fact that she was a woman. She was often seen by some of her male relatives as a burden to their travels, for some Tooks believed that adventures were no place for women.

He loved his daughter, but sometimes thought that for her happiness she would have been better off born a son, for it was not just the view of a few hobbits that women were not meant to go out into the big wide world; it was a view share by most everyone.

Women featured very little in those great stories. Bella seemed to realise this as she got older. When she played she was no longer 'Bella the Great', but 'Bilbo the Great'. She had pulled the name from the family tree - her great great uncles name, and she played her character very well indeed.


	2. An unexpected visitor

By the time she was eleven, Bungo saw more of Bilbo than he did Bella.

Bella was for when she had to behave, for when her father could simply not be moved in his insistence that she left her wooden sword behind. For when she most certainly would take bath, brush her hair and put on a pretty frock before they left, and she most certainly would not do anything strange or unexpected...for father, just for a while.

Bilbo was Bella being herself; as Bilbo she said and did what her heart wished. Being the Bella people thought she should be was more of an act for her, but for her fathers sake for the parties, the trips to the market and the afternoon teas she would be bland, boring: normal. Bland and boring Bella. She didn't like it one bit. Her father said he didn't either, but he also said it would be better not to let on just how much of a Took she was.

On her sixteenth birthday her father came home from market bearing a bow and quiver of arrows and a warning to take care where she aimed. Bilbo finally had a real weapon to slay those dragons with.

Bungo wanted Bella to be able to protect herself, her journeys into the woods became longer as she got older and yearned to see more of the world. Bungo loved his daughter, he really did. He would not take away her freedom no matter how much he feared. She had to find her way in the world herself, for he knew nothing but the Shire. His wife had only once asked for him to join her on an expedition, he had refused and she had never brought it up again. It was not something he could do. He could not follow her, and he could not follow his daughter. He was a Baggins.

And a Baggins with a broken heart was he. He never did recover from the loss of his wife, and often he fell ill with grief.

He stayed for as long as his daughter needed, long enough to see her smile and laugh and grow into her own person, but as she became more independent he felt his hold on life lessen. He was tired. He was not young, nor had he been when he had fathered Bella. When he fell ill, far more seriously than ever before, he knew that his time had come. Bella was of age and was to inherit Bag-End.

For what time I have left...please stay by me...

Yes, father, yes. I promise you, I will not leave your side, but do not say that! You will get better, father.

Bungo had laughed quietly, but could not bring himself to speak the denial he knew was truth.

Is this the promise of Bella, or Bilbo?

Both, father.

And she had not left him, not after the last light faded from his eyes, not after the village people had finished paying their respects to a respectable man (no matter who his wife had been), only when they took his body away did she let her hand fall from his.

-

Life went on in the Shire.

Years passed and Miss Bella Baggins remained Miss Bella Baggins. Marriage was of little interest, social interactions in general were of little interest. In fact, for a time nothing much interested Bella at all. She had a few people she supposed she could call friends, and aunts and uncles and cousins, of course, but her father had been the only one who understood her and in all the years of her so far short life she'd never really had anyone else. She was quite lost without him.

She had not left her father when he had begged her to stay, but she had after his death felt guilt that she had spent so much of her time as a child trying to get away. She wished she had spent every second with him while she could. Bella Baggins rather lost her heart for adventure.

Bilbo had only ever been a childhood game of make-believe. She couldn't pretend forever.

-

For almost ten years after she lost her father Bella Baggins repressed her Took side, until it came to the point when she did not need to try nearly as hard to fit in with other hobbits, and it occurred to her that maybe a life of comfort was what was meant for her all along.

She looked back at her childhood in a nostalgic sense, fondly bringing up memories that didn't hurt quite so much anymore. She read her books with a smile on her face, recalling when her father had narrated them to her, telling the same ones over and over again at her request. She even, despite telling herself how stupid it was, dressed up as Bilbo every once in a while, just for old times sake.

And so, one fine mourning when the sun was shining, the grass was very green, and nothing much worth speaking about had occurred in a very long while, Bella most definitely did not suspect anything extraordinary to happen.

She was dressed as Bilbo that day - standing in her doorway with her fathers more old, rugged, warrior worthy clothes on, her bow in her hands and a smile on her face. Maybe she'd head through the woods in the direction of Bree, see how far she'd get before dinner. She notched an arrow and let it fly. Another hole in the garden gate. A second arrow followed, hitting the first almost straight on, and she couldn't help but smile to herself.

My little Bella, best archer in Hobbiton?

The only archer in Hobbiton, father.

The soft applause from across the gate caused her such a shock that she near hurt her neck in her haste to locate the source.

It was not often that anyone walked the path leading by Bag-End. Normally only those to do so were those visiting Bella, and though over the last few years Bella had grown to like visitors, she didn't get very many.

But this was not normally. Not because this particular person wasn't there to visit Bella, no, but because of who this particular visitor was: it was an old man with a staff, with a tall pointed hat and long grey hair.

"'Tis not often you see such a good shot," A smile graced his lips. "And indeed, in these parts you do not often see a shot at all."

The man leaned forward on his staff and Bella Baggins stuttered slightly, caught off guard by the stranger. 'Thank you', she tried to say, but it came out closer to 'Who are you?'

"Me? You know my name, Miss Baggins, though you don't remember I belong to it." The man drew himself up to his full height - a height that by hobbits standards at least, was immense. "I am Gandalf."

"Gandalf? Gandalf...Gandalf! Gracious me! Not the Gandalf who used to make such excellent fireworks?" Bella put down her bow with a grin. "Yes, I remember you! The wandering wizard! You used to tell such great stories: of goblins and elves and sons of great cities. I had no idea you were still in buisiness, no one has had word from you since Old Took died! Good morning, my friend!"

"'Good morning'?" Gandalf stepped forward to yank the arrows from the garden gate. "What an odd thing to say...and what is meant by it, I wonder?"

He offered the arrows to the hobbit. "But I suppose it is: a good morning, for I have appeared to have achieved my purpose."

"Oh yes? And what might that have been?" Bella could not help but inquire.

"I having been looking for someone to share in an adventure." His piercing eyes locked with Bella's and it took a whole minutes silence for her to realise-

"No! What- I- No! No, thank you! I don't want any adventures. Not today. Why, what an unhobbitly thing to do!" She backed away towards the house.

Gandalf muttered to himself. "To think that I would live to see the day Belladonna Took's daughter refused an adventure...but here you are, as Bilbo, and I suppose that is something at least."

Bella, back in her doorway, made a spluttering sound and grasped the doorknob for support.

"Excuse me, I really must be going." Of course he had known about Bilbo, the wizard knew everything. "Good morning!"

"Good morning?!" The wizards eyebrows disappeared under the rim of his hat.

"I really must go! But please, come to dinner! Tomorrow! Come tomorrow! Good day!" And with that she slammed her door closed, utterly confused and internally berating herself.

'To close the door on a wizard, of all people!'


	3. Promise of adventure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is already posted on Fanfiction.net, so its just copied and pasted here. Unfortunately I haven't got the hang of italic and bold yet :'(

Bella slumped down against the wall. ...Had the wizard really just asked her on an adventure?

Had he been serious? Surely he must know hobbits simply didn't do anything like that. At least...most hobbits didn't. Some Took's did, and there was several smials full of those across the river. It was more than a little silly to ask a Baggins. No Baggins had ever been on an adventure, at least that anyone knew, and yet...

Wasn't an adventure what she had always wanted? ...When had she stopped wanting it?

She used to live for those trips into the woods. She had often lay in bed at night, alluded by sleep, and imagined all the places she could go and all the things she could see once she was old enough to cross the boarder and take her first steps out of the Shire. And yet, though she had been able to do so for many years, though she had nothing tying her to Bag-End, she had stayed. All because of regret of a past that could not be altered.

Her father would not have wanted her to waste away her life the way she had been since his death, she knew that. He would have urged her to take this opportunity. Then again, he would have also expected her to be far away by now, and to have had countless adventures. Maybe this was the push she needed to finally get out of the door... But she had refused the offer.

Bella's surprise from the turn of events quickly drained, turning into a wave of dread and a feeling of mild sickness. She had told Gandalf 'No'.

Why on middle-Earth had she said 'No'? What had she been thinking? Who knew if she would ever get such an opportunity again?

An adventure with Gandalf. What an honor that seemed, especially when not many would be willing to travel with a woman in tow, not with the dangers that lay waiting out there on open roads. Women would be a burden.

Bella took a moment to scoff. Her? A burden? Not if she could help it. She would take down all those who lay a finger on her like she had taken down Eric Chubb when he hadn't kept his hands to himself.

She wrenched her door open again, hoping that by some miracle Gandalf was still standing there and she could change her answer.

He wasn't, of course. Her stomach sunk. She was too late. For a second Bella entertained the vague notion of going running down the road after the wizard - he couldn't have gotten far...

"But no!" Bella exclaimed to herself. "I invited him to dinner tomorrow. Oh, thank goodness, it seems I have some sense still in me!"

She closed the door and went to the kitchen.

'Tomorrow,' Bella thought as she poured herself a drink. Tomorrow she would sort this whole mess out. She would tell Gandalf that she had been wrong. She would tell him that she did want an adventure after all.

-

Bella didn't sleep that night, her mind was too alive.

She couldn't help but worry that Gandalf would fail to show up. After all, she hadn't really waited for him to give her an answer as to whether or not he could come to dinner. For all she knew the wizard was busy with other affairs or had only been passing through Hobbiton and was by now long gone.

Even worse was the idea that Gandalf had not been serious in his offer. This was unlikely, for what she remembered of the man's nature told her that he wasn't one to make such jokes. She couldn't help but fret though.

The next morning she hardly knew what to do with herself.

'You've waited this long and now suddenly you can not even wait a couple of hours.' She groaned to herself as she took two slightly burnt seed cakes from the oven.

She pulled weeds from the garden and sewed up a hole in her favourite shawl. She even shot a few arrows at a letter from the Sackville-Bagginses that she had pinned to the wall (in vengeance of some long lost silverware). Nothing distracted her for long.

By the time the sun had begun to draw low in the sky Bella was mentally exhausted, but had at least calmed her worries a bit. She glanced out of a window and noticed the time, but would not despair for a quite awhile about Gandalf's absence. She had not set a time and everybody had their different ideas as to when dinner was.

Gandalf would not be late, merely arrive when he meant to.

-

The last glimmers of light where disappearing below the horizon when the doorbell rang.

"Gandalf!" Bella sighed in relief. "Oh, thank goodness, he has come!"

She opened the door ready to greet the wizard, but a wizard was not what she got...

"Fili-"

"-And Kili"

"At your service!"

They grinned, bowed, and looked expectantly at Bella.

Bella blinked, stared, and stared some more.

There were two dwarves on her doorstep - that much got through to her. ...Why were there two dwarves on her doorstep?

She may have never met a dwarf before, but Bella could tell that these were young. In fact, the younger of the two looked as though he wasn't even of age, being practically beardless. Both wore earth colours, carried swords, and were so covered in twigs and leaves that they looked like they had been pulled backwards through numerous hedges. The younger also seemed to have fallen over face first in mud, and had what looked suspiciously like one of Lobelia Bracegirdle's prize dahlias caught in the buckle on one of his boots.

Bella only realised how long she had been standing there in silence when the subjects of her gaze began to fidget. Then it hit her that they were waiting for her to say something in reply. Manners, Bella Baggins! How rude you are being! She tried to remind herself of what she should say.

"Have we come too early?" Kili rubbed a smudge of dirt from his face.

"We had a bet, you see." Fili spoke. "We told the others that we would get here before them. None of them have arrived yet, have they?"

He peered past her into the hall.

Others?

"No..." Bella found her voice. This was the second time her reactions had failed her in two days. "No, you are the first dwarves here." Ever.

Another moment of silence prevailed.

"We have got the right place? Gandalf said it would be the door with the mark."

"Mark?" Bella's eyes jumped to the symbol on the door as Fili motioned to it. It glowed slightly in the dark. How had she not seen that earlier? Dammit, she'd just painted that door-

"You are Mr. Bilbo Baggins, correct?" Bella's attention snapped back to the two.

"I- Yes...Bilbo Baggins." She nodded after a moments hesitation. "And I'm sorry but you seem to have caught me unawares. I was anticipating Gandalf and Gandalf alone. He made no mention of other company."

Fili and Kili looked slightly shocked. They glanced hesitantly at each other, unsure.

"But just because you are unexpected does not make you unwelcome. Pray, excuse my manners and let us start over. Please come in my friends, and let me find you food and drink." Bella gestured them in.

"Only," She took in the state of their shoes. "If you would be so kind, leave your boots in the hall and the greenery outside."


	4. Thirteen dwarves

The two brothers, as Bella had later learnt they were, had scrambled in and dutifully rid themselves of their muddier garments, leaving their weapons propped against the wall.

They were quiet at first, rather discomforted by the knowledge that their host had had no prior warning of their arrival. Once provided with food and assured that their presence was not in the least minded, however, they settled down and became more talkative. They took to the hobbit very quickly in fact, and Bella found herself taking to them. They were charming, in a dwarvish and slightly childish way.

Soon all three of them were talking as friends and Bella learnt a bit of what was going on. She was not just to be expecting two or three more dwarves, but eleven.

"Ori, Nori and Dori,"

"Oin and Gloin,"

"Dwalin-"

"-and Balin,"

"Bombur, Bofur and Bifur."

"And Thorin." Kili added. "He's our uncle."

"And with Gandalf as well," Bella sighed. "We shall have quite a crowd."

The brothers were, to their credit, exceedingly helpful. They helped her moved the table and set out food: not something guests would normally do. Bella could find nothing but good opinion of them, despite their short acquaintance.

-

The bell rang for a second time not half an hour after the brothers arrival, and when Bella opened the door she was relieved to see Gandalf standing there.

He was smiling at first, but upon noticing Fili's and Kili's things by the door his smile dropped.

'It seems he planned to tell me about this first, at least.' As such, Bella could not find it in herself to be angry with the wizard and immediately spoke to calm his worries. "Do not fear Gandalf, a hobbit larder contains more than enough food, I think, to feed some twelve dwarves, as well as you and I."

"Come in, come in. Join the party, we are low in numbers at present." Gandalf's gaze did not brighten at her assurances, but he never-the-less stooped to get through the door.

"Gandalf!" Fili and Kili cried as they rushed up behind her. "What things we have heard! You told Mr. Baggins nothing of our coming!"

Oddly enough their accusations seemed to put Gandalf at ease. "I meant to, my dwarves, but I was also counting on being first to arrive."

As it turned out he would have been first to come knocking, had Fili and Kili not taken short cuts through several gardens and perhaps most notably through the seemingly empty field belonging to farmer Maggot's old bull and ended up running quite a distance. (Bella had been secretly very pleased to find that Lobelia Bracegirdle's dahlias had in fact suffered from an accidental trampling.)

"But it looks like there has been no harm done and that you are all getting along well enough." Gandalf had a twinkle in his eye as he slipped off his own shoes to put beside the others, content to walk around in threadbare socks even if his boots were by some miracle completely spotless. "It must be quite the experience, for you have never met a dwarf before, Bilbo, and young Fili and Kili here have never met a hobbit. None of the company have, actually, if I am correct."

Bella remained standing in the hallway as Fili and Kili led Gandalf into the dining room. The compliment made by one of them praising her cooking passed completely over her head, because things were starting to make a bit more sense.

Bella had been wondering how she, a woman, would be accepted by a company of adventurers. The answer now was simple: she wouldn't be.

Gandalf had told them all that they would be meeting Mr. Bilbo Baggins, and in arriving before them hoped to gain her collaboration in his deception and prevent any and all contradictions to the notion that they were not.

None of the dwarves had met a hobbit before, so they would not query a few oddities if Gandalf told them it was normal. That's why Fili and Kili were unquestioning in the idea that she was was a he. Bella was wearing men's clothes, her hair was not overly long (not that that should have mattered anyway, given the styles of dwarves); her feminine facial features and voice could be over-looked because as far as they knew that's what male hobbits were like.

Without Gandalf's early warning she could have so easily blown it. All she would have had to do was to answer the door not dressed as Bilbo or say that no, she was not Mr. Bilbo Baggins thank you very much, she was Miss Bella Baggins, and the adventure would have been over for her before it had even started.

Gandalf was giving her a chance to be part of whatever was going on and was taking a gamble on his part. It was up to how well of an act she put on as to how far she could go on this chance.

This was a daunting thought to Bella and she suddenly found herself unsure as to whether to thank Gandalf or curse him.

Oh, she was determined though. She wanted this adventure.

She would give a good show.

-

Soon dwarves were arriving left, right and centre, and Fili and Kili became a whole lot louder.

'As children are wont to do,' Bella snorted fondly. 'when their friends are around to watch.'

They were not too bad though, and even took the time to meet each new arrival at the door with her: "Boots off, boots off! For Mr. Baggins only just cleaned the floors this morning!"

The introductions went without any major disaster, the only instance that had given cause for concern being when Ori had greeted her with 'Hello, Miss'. Bella had at that point almost choked on air, but the crisis had been quickly averted by several hands smacking the young dwarf over the head, 'That's Mr. Baggins, blockhead!'

Bella found the dwarves pleasant enough: they were a rather jolly bunch. It was only a shame about their table manners.

Balin and Gandalf were soon preoccupied conversing amongst themselves, Oin and Gloin and Dori also. Nori, Fili and Kili were entertaining themselves by throwing food into Bombur's mouth, and Ori was hiding behind his plate in an attempt to shield himself from any wayward pieces of food that came flying. Dwalin was putting all his efforts into eating and Bifur was munching contentedly on the flowers Bella had placed in the middle of the table. Bofur, on the other hand, had not touched much on his plate, being all too happy to just sit there and laugh at the whole scene.

Bella lent against the wall in a corner with a cup of strong tea and watched food being flung in every direction and ale being spilt on the floor.

When they had eaten and started playing with the cutlery all she could offer was a half-hearted 'You'll blunt the knives'. This invariably led to singing and a lot of tossing of plates. (To which she made no verbal comment to, however glared a warning from her place. 'You break it master dwarf, you pay for it.' )

To Bella's relief no plates were broken - they actually ended up in neatly stacked piles in the middle of the table. Her worry must have shown on her face, because Gandalf was smiling and the dwarves were chuckling. Bella opened her mouth to inform them that the treatment of her grandmother's cutlery in that way was no laughing matter, but she was interrupt by the door.

'One, two, three...' Bella had almost forgotten they were expecting one more. 'Late.' She would have to fetch more food.

She reached the door and opened it, keen to hurry the last visitor inside. "Bilbo Baggins, at your service. Do come in."

The dwarf in her doorway held himself differently from the others: with an air of importance. An imposing figure, to say the least. He had an expression of complete seriousness on his face and did not offer a smile or greeting as he stepped inside. Bella immediately thought him rather rude and proud. His face -an admittedly redeeming feature- bore slight resemblances to Fili's and Kili's, leading her to the belief that this was the uncle they had earlier mentioned.

"You can leave your shoes with the others." She said, after a look at his feet.

The dwarf took in the line of boots along the wall disbelievingly. He gave Bella a strange look.

"Ah, Bilbo," Gandalf swept up to them. "Allow me the pleasure of introducing you to none other than Thorin Oakenshield, leader of our company."

Thorin managed a nod in her direction.

'Thorin Oakenshield,' The named played at Bella's mind for a moment; she had heard it before. 'Thorin Oakenshield-'

"Heir to the line of Durin. Son of Thrain, son of Thror: the last dwarf King to rule under the Lonely Mountain."

Bella thought she caught a smidgen of irritation at her lack of reaction. It was surprisingly satisfying.

The dwarf turned as if to make his way to find the rest of his company, a clear dismissal, and Bella felt a surge of dislike.

"Shoes off."

Thorin pinned her with a glare and Bella found herself glaring back. Heir to a throne or not, this was her home. He had no power here.

There was silence throughout the house and Bella realised that the others had gone quiet in order to listen in. Thorin appeared to notice this too and broke the stare. He removed his boots grudgingly, having decided it best for his image not to lower himself to arguing with the hobbit.

He did not meet her eyes again.

Bella gulped at the aura the dwarf gave off as Gandalf led him down the hall.

The wizard had been almost glowing with amusement, but Bella could not help but get the feeling that she had just done something she would regret.

'Big mistake I think, Bella Baggins,' She groaned. 'Big mistake indeed'.


	5. The contract

Thorin spoke no thanks when she set down food in front of him and Bella had half a mind to stand there until he was forced to take notice of her. She didn't though, for the sake of the others. "Tea, anyone?"

"Oh yes, that would be wonderful," Gandalf answered happily. "Two sugars, please."

"Honey, if you have any." Balin nodded and so did Dori.

The other dwarves seemed less enthusiastic and finally broke the silence they had held since Thorin's arrival.

"Haven't you any more ale, Mr Baggins?" Gloin asked loudly.

"That I have, master dwarf," Bella collected the plates to take to the kitchen. "But I do believe you have all had enough."

"I will not have a load of drunken dwarves making a mess of my dining room," She muttered, though she knew they could hold a lot more liquor than she had stored in the house.

Some of them looked about to argue with her.

"I like tea."

The dwarves groaned.

Bella turned to smile at Ori. "Well then, do come and help me fetch some. The kettle is on the stove."

-

When Bella and Ori returned from the kitchen the conversation had already started.

"...they will not come. They say this quest is ours and ours alone..."

She put a mug of ale down beside Thorin with a bit more force than she had intended. Receiving a small noise of gratitude this time, she moved on and started to pour tea for those who wanted it.

When Bella had attended to everyone but herself she poured her own drink and sat down heavily between Ori and Bifur, concentrating on what was being said.

They were to travel to the lonely mountain, the home that had been taken from the dwarves many years ago by a dragon, Smaug. The monster had first attacked Dale, the city of men that lay at the dwarf-kingdom's gates, for it loved the death and destruction it could bring. It had then turned its wrath on Erebor, seeking the gold that had called it from the north. The dragon's fire consumed all in its path, the dwarves had had no hope of fighting it off. Many where killed that day and the survivors of the once great kingdom were forced into exile.

Much time had passed since then, almost a hundred years in fact, and a rumour had begun to spread: the dragon was quiet in its mountain hoard. Maybe it was dead. The dwarves saw this as the time to make another effort at retaking their homeland. They feared that should they wait other parties - elves or men, would try to take the riches that lay in the stone fortress for themselves.

It was going to be dangerous. Their path was long and to be fraught with terrors even if in the end the beast did turn out to be dead in its stolen domain.

There were fifteen of them, a map they could not fully read and a key to a door of unknown location that was invisible when closed.

Amongst the thirteen dwarves only some had seen war. There were a few fighters in the group, but most had other professions they had dedicated their lives to: they had miners in their numbers, medics, whittlers and toy makers. Some could remember the night they had fled from the fire and flame, others had been born after that time and so had no memory of their old home.

They were not a company of the best of skill or of mind, but they were ready and willing. They would do everything in their power to see their quest fulfilled. Loyalty, courage, a willing heart; he could ask no more, Thorin said. They had come when others had not, and that fact made them of many times more worth than anybody else.

Gandalf had taken the responsibility of finding another member for the group, someone to deal with the dragon if need be. He had chosen her.

Bella was now a burglar, as Gandalf had seen fit to say she was.

"Your contract." Balin passed over a piece of parchment.

"Ah, yes." Bella unfolded it, revealing its length.

"Have you ever held an axe or sword, Mr Baggins?" Thorin spoke as she began to read.

Bella didn't think he would be very impressed if she answered with 'a wooden one.' "No, but I have my bow."

He nodded in acceptance.

Bella continued to read. Share of profit, if any...

"...laceration...evisceration...incineration!?"

"Aye, a dragon's fire will melt yer flesh clean off your bones, ya know." Bofur said from across the table. "Think extreme heat, a moment of agonising pain and then-"

"-Thank you, Bofur." Bella grit her teeth. "I get it."

She could not deny that the things written caused her fear. The story had scared her, but it was the contract that really made the situation real to her.

Bella suddenly felt rather faint.

"I need to think about this."

-

An hour later Bella looked up from her chair in the living room to see Gandalf and Oin standing in front of her.

Oin passed her a drink of something with a strange smell.

"It's got calming herbs in it." Gandalf explained, taking a seat opposite her.

Bella gave Oin the best smile she could muster. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, laddie." The dwarf left the room to join his kin.

Bella sipped the drink in silence for a minute before meeting Gandalf's eyes. She immediately looked away again upon doing so. "I just need to sit quietly for a while."

"My dear, you have been sitting quietly for quite some time. We are all starting to worry, you know." He regarded her pale face and shaking hands.

"You do not have to do this, it was not my intention to force you into anything. I merely thought you deserved the opportunity of the choice. I apologise for any discomfort you have been caused."

"No..." Bella shook her head. "I appreciate what you have done, my friend. Thank you."

Gandalf nodded slowly and rose. "This is decision is yours and yours alone. Take your time with it."

He moved to leave.

"Gandalf-" Bella caught him in the doorway. "-if I come along, you can not promise me that I will come back, can you?"

He looked her in the eyes. "No. No, I can not."

That was what she had thought.

"And if you do, things will never be the same."

-

Bella wrapped her arms around her knees as she listened to the dwarves' song. She had never experienced anything like it in her life - their voices held such great feeling and sadness. In the end, it was that which made up her mind for her.

She crept down the hall and watched them as their last words faded to silence before making her way quietly over to Balin.

"I signed it."


	6. Setting out

Bella groaned as she awoke the next morning. It had been late before the dwarves had left and she had sunk into her warm bed. It was, in her opinion, much to early to leave it.

She did not bother to check the clock as she scrambled sleepily to her cupboard in search of her travelling pack. 'They'll have to wait for me anyway.'

Change of clothes, blanket, towel, soap... bandages and spare arrow heads, pocket knife, string... She was not too sure as to what she would need and soon found herself picking up anything that she thought may come in useful.

Bella quickly ate a breakfast of all that remained in her pantry, made sure all the fires were dead, and dressed. She then spent a great deal of time staring at herself in the mirror. No matter how last night had gone, she feared that daylight would bring the dwarves new insight.

Bella had put on breeches and a shirt, making sure to pick a waistcoat that would not cling to her body. She was thankful now of the frame she possessed: she was thinner than most hobbits, and her curves were, though fitting of her form, slight. They were not too hard to hide. Still, she had bound her chest as tightly as possible without restricting her movement or breathing. Rather painfully she had discarded her mother's necklace that she was by now so used to wearing. She felt bare without it. Her hair...it was short enough, she decided. No need to bring out the scissors...scissors...another thing she could need...

She left her hair unbrushed, as she had many times observed that men forgot to tend to their hair when they were running late, and late she was.

Grabbing her pack she took one last look around Bag-End, intent on memorising every detail. Part of her told her to stop being silly, it would be just the same when she came back. The rest said to look as much as she could, you couldn't put it past the Sackville Bagginses to break in through a window and make off with anything of worth.

'You are right, Gandalf. If I am to return things never will be the same as they are now. The house will most probably be devoid of furniture and silverware, for one.'

Bella arrived at the company's meeting place to Fili and Kili loudly demanding that the others pay up, which she assumed was about yesterdays bet.

"We won by nearly an hour, no complaining!"

Gloin and Dwalin muttered darkly before each throwing a small bag of money over to the brothers.

"Ah, Mr Baggins!" Balin was first to notice her presence. "We were wondering how long you were going to be."

Bella flushed slightly. "Sorry I'm late."

"Do not worry yourself," The elderly dwarf smiled at her kindly. "It is of no bother."

From the look Thorin gave her that moment as he walked past, it was of bother. "Nice that you could make it, halfling. That is your pony over there."

He motioned to a chestnut mare tied to a fence a way off. "Get ready to go. We leave in five minutes."

Bella drew her eyes away from the animal. "Does she have a name?"

"No."

Balin chuckled quietly as Thorin left hearing range. "Name her what you want, Mr Baggins. I always liked the name Myrtle myself..."

All of the dwarfs greeted her one by one, and each time Bella found herself holding her breath, waiting for them to say something about her appearance. Each time she found it harder to mask an incredulous face as they just walked away. 'Oh Gandalf, what have you been telling these dwarves? She had heard that female dwarves looked much the same as males though, so maybe they just weren't the best of people to ask to discern between genders.

Gloin helped her untie the newly christened Myrtle and attach her bag to the saddle. He gave her a boost up too, but overestimated her weight and sent her flying over the other side to land on the floor in an undignified heap. Dwalin, who's pony was tied next to Bella's, dropped his stony expression and gave a bark of laughter at her plight before reaching down and lifting her off the ground, depositing her roughly in the saddle.

Soon the company was off, trailing through the woods in a long snaking line. Bella found herself at the back, almost immediately enclosed by Fili and Kili on either side of her.

"Can we ask you some questions, Mr Baggins?"

"Bilbo." Bella corrected. "Mr Baggins was my father, it is strange to hear you call me such."

It was not a lie.

"And yes," she nodded. "Ask away."

And so they did so, bombarding Bella with inquiries about the Shire, herself, and hobbits in general.

What was the weather like at different times of the year? What did she do for a living? How did people spend their time in the Shire?

These were the questions that generally came from Fili. They were quite normal, the sort of things you would ask were you presented with the opportunity to learn about a new land and people of which you knew relatively nothing. They were easy enough to answer and made for pleasant conversation. They calmed her nerves.

Kili's questions were a bit more...obscure.

Did she like rabbits? (He did.) Could hobbits stand on their heads? (He could.) Were the people of hobbiton aware that a farmer not to far from here was keeping a dangerous, rather large, vicious animal in a field as a pet? (He wished he wasn't.)

Bella humoured him for a while, before posing her own questions to them. She also was curious of their culture and was well aware that the brothers could teach her more than any book she had ever read. She would have asked regardless, however, if only to be spared the indignity of answering the question 'Do hobbits hibernate?'

Kili thankfully forgot that this last query had not received a reply, and launched into a lesson on dwarvish history.

The day drew on and Bella became increasingly lost as to what Kili was talking about. Even his brother had become confused by his blabbering, for Kili switched topics often and without proper notice. Fili took to rolling his eyes a lot and Bella learnt to nod at the right times.

They did not stop for lunch; apples and chunks of bread were thrown down the line. This annoyed Bella greatly, for as much as she loved the sweet little animal she rode, she wanted to get off. She had never ridden for so long without rest before, the extent of her experience being the times when old Otto Boffin had let her on his pony, Mint. Bella's legs were beginning to ache and she shifted about a lot, trying to find a more comfortable way to sit.

The amount food she had consumed did not particularly leave her satisfied either. Her stomach was rumbling quietly to itself long before it began to grow dark and Thorin called that they would stop to make camp.

Bella almost sighed in relief as she pulled Myrtle to a stop.

'Now only to get down...'

It was not that far, she told herself as she swung down. She landed on her feet, but immediately felt her legs go to jelly and stumbled. 'Oh, bother!'

To her surprise a hand steadied her before she fell. Curses. Bella had rather hoped that no one had been watching to see her make acquaintance with the ground for the second time in the day. She looked up.

"Bofur."

He grinned. "Thought you'd be shakin' and unsteady when you got off. Saw how uncomfortable you were sitting there earlier."

He let her go once he was certain she would stay standing. "You'll be used to it in a few days and then you won't feel a thing. You'll be jumping off with no problem!"

-

Bofur turned out to be right, within a week of travel she was no longer sore after a day's ride. She had gotten used to the new eating habits as well: they had first breakfast but not second, lunch was not to have any high expectations of - generally bread eaten on the move and fruit picked off trees. Dinner was okay though.

Bella had learnt on her first night that Bombur was a fine cook, even by hobbit standards (for hobbits had plenty of time to dedicate to things such as cooking). Though it was usually soup or stew and not made from much, it tasted good and Bella found she did not feel empty afterwards. This was thankful, for she had never been able to sleep well when she was hungry.

It had not seemed hopeful, that first meal. She would admit she had been skeptical of dwarven culinary skills. It had been a pleasant surprise.

"Can make a meal out of anything, my brother." Bofur had said proudly as they ate. He and Bella had fallen into conversation after he had helped her tie up Myrtle, and they had spent the evening talking amongst themselves. They had continued to do so while the rest drifted off to sleep, until a comfortable silence had overtaken them.

Sleeping outside was something Bella did not grow accustomed to by a week, nor did she feel she would for some time. She had set her mind on sleep that first night, but soon found it would not come. The ground was hard, so very different from her bed back at Bag-End. There was something else preventing her from slumber though. She had not noticed as she had been speaking with Bofur, but now she realised: most of the dwarves snored. Loud.

Dwalin, Dori, Ori, Bombur and Oin. All of them made such a noise. She had turned over and shuffled in an attempt to get comfortable. Nori was quiet, which was good, as he was closest to her excluding Bofur. Bifur had a habit of muttering in ancient dwarvish as he slept though, and he was almost as near.

Bella rolled again and found herself staring at Bofur, and that Bofur was staring back. He did not hide his amusement at the irritated expression she wore. It seemed that Bofur found most things funny - he did smile and laugh an awful lot.

"Can't sleep?" Bella asked.

Bofur shook his head. "I don't sleep much. Never have really, even when I was a dwarfling."

He blinked. "You can't either."

Bella pulled a face and gave an exaggerated groan. "Not with a great bloody tree root sticking in my back!"

Gandalf kept watch and Thorin didn't snore. Bella supposed it was not something royalty did, for his nephews breathed in silence too. That was not to say the brothers did not make a sound every so often. They slept close to one another, and Kili appeared to move around quite a bit in his sleep, sometimes hitting or kicking his elder brother and causing Fili to jolt awake with a 'Whatsat?'

Balin's snore's were quiet compared with the rest, but Gloin's! Gloin's snores were alike to thunder! She was able to see him from where she-

Bella shot up. Was he actually breathing in moths?

...And they came back out...alive!?


	7. Into the Wilds

Bella found an awful lot of things remained unsatisfactory to her, even if the travel and food were not so bad after a while and the lack of sleep she got was ignored.

One thing was the way some of the other dwarves acted around her.

A few of them, like Dwalin, merely appeared not to hold her in confidence yet. Bella could understand this: they did not know her well, they had no reason to trust her. All they had was Gandalf's word. Trust worked both ways, and Bella could not honestly announce that she fully trusted them either. 'If in circumstances you do not feel ready to trust someone, Bella Baggins, then you can hardly expect that person to feel ready to trust you.'

No, she did not mind that so very much, at this point it was merely an annoyance that could make travel awkward. The one that really got to her was Thorin.

Thorin did not outwardly show his dislike and treated her much the same as he did the others in the company, but Bella could tell from the way he spoke and the looks he gave her that he held her in no great esteem. ...Well, Bella supposed that was mutual too.

Other things that bugged her were more...domestic. Dwarves had not much sense when it came to personal hygiene. Bella found herself near to begging some of them to take a bath whenever they came by water or else wash their hands when it came time to eat (something her father had ingrained into her mind as important). Ori and Bofur listened to her, and would remove as much dirt from their fingernails as possible. Fili and Kili didn't pay her heed until they were subjected to one of her glares, which she had been told were rather formidable. Bella had not dared to pester any of the others yet, nor bring out soap. She felt she had won a small victory though when one day at dinner Nori had sat and frowned at his own dirty palms for a moment before rubbing them determinedly shirt.

No one smelled too bad as of yet, Bella decided, though she feared that that would soon change, for the dwarves did not allow much time for washing. 'But we will all smell together,' Bofur had said when she had voiced this concern. 'And so no one will be the odd one out, and no one will think any less of anybody else.'

Bella did not like feeling so unclean and she didn't even want to think about the state of her hair. If she missed anything about home, it was a bath. She did her best to keep her clothes in a somewhat presentable state, which was more than the dwarves did. Notably Fili, and especially Kili, had not yet lost that talent youngsters had for finding mud wherever they went and managing to utterly plaster themselves in it.

Bella longed for a good book to read when sleep would not come and a soft chair to sit down in after a days travel. She wished to be able to rest when she grew tired and do what she wanted when she wanted. She missed having a roof over her head at night, and dreaded the day when rain would first fall on their journey – as of yet they had been very lucky, the heavens had remained closed. Good weather for so long was likely to precede a downpour, Bella knew. She hated enough the water that covered everything when morning came - dew made everything damp, and did not know how she would cope when it actually rained and there would be no shelter or pausing in their trek because of it.

Still, above anything, biting insects were Bella's biggest hate. She often woke to discover she had acquired several new red blotches on her skin, and they itched.

-

On their fifteenth day of travel they left the shire.

Bella had noticed two days prior that the hills were not so rolling and the woods not so tame. Everything was more...wild.

Bella stopped, allowing a chattering Ori and two young arguing brothers to pass her.

This was it.

She looked back at her homeland and her heart gave a tug. Hobbiton was somewhere there, far in the distance. Bag-End lay empty.

"The whole world is in front of you, Mr Baggins," Balin dipped his head towards the horizon as he rode past. He and Gandalf had been a way back behind the group, speaking of whatever old people spoke of, Bella supposed.

Gandalf drew his horse to a halt beside her and Bella lifted her eyes to meet his. "The Shire is part of this world too."

He nodded. "But the world does not reside back there in your books and maps."

Bella knew this, of course.

"However..." Gandalf continued. "If I were to liken the world to a book, I believe it would be a text that a person with such a disposition as yourself would try to read as much as possible of, though you could never hope to reach its end."

"The Shire would be the pages you have already read, and this..." Gandalf motioned into the distance. "...this would be all the rest."

Bella took a moment to consider this.

"Bilbo! Bilbo!" Bofur was calling, having noticed she had fallen back.

"Yes!" Bella shouted in reply. She quickly urged Myrtle on to catch up, Gandalf following. She slowed as she reached the line and slotted in next to Bofur.

Bella took another glance towards home. It would not be the last time she gazed in that direction.

-

That evening they made camp on a rocky hill. The fire was warm and welcoming, though the same could not be said for the ground. Bella had bunked down with Fili, Kili and Bofur near, for it was they who she had grown most close to over the past weeks.

Fili and Kili were fighting quietly over a blanket, not wishing to attract their uncle's attention and subsequently his wrath. Bella found it amusing until rude gestures started to make an appearance.

"Ahem!"

They immediately stopped, sporting guilty expressions.

She gave them a reprimanding look that shouldn't have worked on beings their age before turning back to Bofur, who had been telling her about the many types of precious minerals that lay in the mines of Erebor.

Bofur had quickly become a dear friend to Bella, and she already considered him a closer one than any she'd had in the Shire. If she had been blessed with a brother, she would hope that they would be of similar nature to him. He was kind hearted and optimistic, with a humorous streak. Bella suspected him of the sort to find it hard to think badly of anyone: one of those rare gems that always believed the best in people and never held any grudges or ill will.

He had been young when Erebor had been taken, but not so young that he did not remember its glory. His family were working class; they had all been miners, but had also found themselves with no small amount of talent when it came to craftsmanship. Bofur was rather skilled in making toys from wood and figurines in crystal and stone. (He had insisted that he was not very good at it at all, but from the noise Bombur had made on his claim, Bella doubted this was true.)

Bombur was Bofur's brother, and Bifur his cousin. Bella had a hard time finding a resemblance in their features, but it did not escape her notice that all three of them were very protective of each other.

Bella had not talked much with Bombur, but had sometimes assisted him with cooking. She couldn't speak with Bifur, for he had only spoken in ancient dwarvish since the injury to his head during an orc attack in the mines. Only Gandalf knew what he said, though Bofur and Bombur seemed to be able to get the gist of what he wanted to get across to them. Bifur watched Bella an awful lot, which unnerved her more than just a little. She had tried to befriend the dwarf regardless, and she believed she had managed it. One day she had found the very same type of flowers that Bifur had been so fond of that night at Bag-End, and had offered them to him. He had received them with a grin, said something Bella did not understand and went on his way, nibbling on them happily.

"-Lots of gold. Lots and lots of gold, great veins of it winding up the rock! Diamonds, sapphires and rubies. Emeralds as big as your head! And the most sort after of all: mithril. It's almost priceless. Stronger than steel that stuff, but so light in weight-"

Bella near jumped out of her skin as a terrible cry cut through the night.

"-What was that!?"

Her voice was hardly a whisper, but all the other dwarves had gone silent.


	8. The Cries of Orcs

Fili and Kili shared a look. "Orcs."

"Orcs?" Bella had read about those, of course. Created by Melkor before the First Age; Morgoth had bred them from elves he had captured and corrupted by torture and mutilation. He made them his slaves to the darkness. They later served Sauron and brought much death and destruction on the free people of middle-Earth. Since their dark lord's defeat they had scattered, most had fled into the mountains. She had not thought any would be found so close to the Shire's boarders.

"They attack in packs, the foul creatures."

Bella turned towards the Fili and Kili, it was obvious to her from their faces what they had planned.

"Yes, yes, vile things. Sometimes they go after travellers."

"They wait until dark, you see-"

"-lurking in the shadows, watching, waiting..."

"And when everyone's asleep and dreaming-"

"Then..." The brothers held their breath, pausing for effect.

"They get you!"

They sniggered and Bella gave them an unimpressed look, not particularly amused. Well, any sleep she may have got that night was now out of the window...

"You believe this is a laughing matter?" The two jumped at their uncle's voice.

"That a night raid of orcs is a joke?" Thorin's tone was unforgiving. "You think that those filthy animals would not murder you where you lay? That they would not slit your throats before you could so much as scream and would not laugh as they did so?"

Fili and Kili looked stricken.

"All they live for is blood."

The dwarf king stalked away from the group, leaving his nephews wide eyed with barely concealed fright. Bella too felt a rush of intense fear at his words. She hoped she would never set eyes on an orc.

"Don't mind him, lads." Balin sighed, sending the young dwarves a sympathetic look. "Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs."

His expression held, but was now directed towards Thorin's disappearing back. "After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria...but our enemy had got there first."

Bella moved closer to elderly dwarf to listen.

"Moria had been taken by legions of orcs, led by the most vile of all their race, Azog the Defiler. The giant Gundabad Orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. He began...by beheading the King."

Bella grimaced. Balin's face had taken on a haunted quality. "I- I was saw it happen, you know..."

"...Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief. He went missing, taken prisoner or killed; we did not know. To this day his fate remains a mystery. We were leaderless, defeat and death were upon us. That is when I saw him, the young dwarf prince facing down the Pale Orc. He stood alone against this terrible foe, his armour rent, wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield... Azog the Defiler learned that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken. Our forces rallied and drove the orcs back; our enemy was defeated... but there was no feast or songs that night, for our dead were beyond the count of grief. Brothers, fathers, sons... We few had survived, and I thought to myself then, 'There is one I could follow. There is one I could call King'."

Balin's words were laced with reverence and Bella could understand why: Thorin had been a ray of hope for those who fought that day – a bright flame in a place of darkness, where all other lights had gone out. He had give them reason to carry on when all seemed lost.

Bella had heard the story before, but never told like that, by someone who was actually there. It sent a shiver up her spine.

When Thorin returned Fili and Kili gazed at him in barely concealed awe. It seemed that it had never really hit them as children listening to the tale that those events ever really happened.

Bella too found herself looking more closely at the dwarf king. He had known hardship, and yet remained strong for his people. He had led them from the fire and ash. Now he charged this quest to reclaim the land that, if fate had been fair, he would have ruled over with all the pride in the world as his subjects thrived. He would do anything for his cause, even give his own life. Perhaps for the first time on their journey, Bella felt respect for the dwarf.

Thorin shook his head angrily at his sister's sons as he passed them. "You know nothing of the world."

And there went the respect, dispelled by a few harsh words. She frowned as Fili's head dropped in shame and Kili visibly wilted.

Bella had been right on her first meeting of them: Kili was still two years away from what dwarves considered of age, and Fili was only three years past it, being five years his brothers elder. Yet Bella was not too sure of the validity of Thorin's claim - while the brothers did for the most part act their age, she had observed that they were not as free from burdens as those having seen as few summers as they had should be. Fili especially showed it and Bella suspected the responsibility of being second in line to the throne had affected him badly. The way the elder brother held himself and kept himself in check...it bothered her greatly. None so young should feel such weight on their shoulders.

Fili and Kili were asleep much earlier than normal that night, and were suspiciously still from the moment they lay down.

The other dwarves were quick to cease conscious noise making. (Bella ears were blessed with the usual night symphony). Thorin remained awake as first night watch, staring off into the darkness.

"Bofur?" Bella breathed quietly, a question suddenly burning in her mind.

"Hmmm...?"

"The pale orc. The book I read said he was injured in the battle, did he die?"

The dwarf removed his face from where he had buried it in his hat, obviously having been wide awake.

"That's what Thorin believes." He whispered, daring a glance in the king's direction.

"What about everyone else, what do they think?"

Bofur's silence was a good enough answer.

-

'Drat and bother, drat and bother, drat and bother-'

Bella's hair clung to her face.

"Say, Mr Gandalf, can't you do something about this deluge?" Dori called ahead.

An amused voice answered. "It is raining, master dwarf, and it will continue to do so until the skies are finished, regardless of what our wishes may be."

"Even my socks are wet!" Ori whined, taking his boots from his stirrups and wriggling his feet as if to emphasise his point. Water had soaked his trousers and gone down into his shoes.

"My head is wet." Bofur added. He pulled his hat further down over his ears.

"My toes." Bella decided to contribute. Bofur snorted, looking down at her always-bare feet.

Fili and Kili laughed.

"My moustache!"

"And all my underclothes!"

Nori tried to wring the water from his braids, even though the rain still fell heavily. "My poor hair."

"My food." Came from somewhere behind, it could only have been Bombur.

Bifur shouted something in ancient dwarvish.

Dwalin turned about in his saddle. "My-"

He said something that had all the dwarves laughing outrageously. Bella choked and almost fell off Myrtle. At least the rain hid the colour of her face...

"What!? What's everyone findin' so funny?" The half-deaf Oin asked his brother, causing a number of answers to be yelled loudly down the line by various others.

Dwarves! No sense of propriety at all!


	9. The Stubbornness of Dwarves

Night watch. Bella hated it.

Every sound was so much louder when you couldn't see where it came from and after a while the shadows began to play tricks on you. Even with a group of snoring dwarves Bella felt alone: it was her against the darkness.

She had not been afraid of the dark as a child, but now... Bella felt the feeling of being watched slip over her. She checked on Bifur. He had been staring at her even more of late, and Bella had begun to entertain the idea that he suspected her. It would be awful if she were to be discovered now. It turned out the dwarf was asleep though...Bella half wished he wasn't: that meant it was someone (or something) else watching her.

At one point her imagination conjured up a set of glowing eyes and a skulking form. With every crack of a twig she had the impulse to wake Bofur, who was asleep not a meter away. At the same time she loathed the thought of doing so: she knew he found sleep hard to come by, and Bella despised the idea of being thought cowardly by any member of the company.

'Calm, Bella, calm. There's nothing out there...' She took deep breaths.

Not much longer, then she could rouse Gloin, and it would all be over...

No matter how bad the nights though, Bella had the best days of her life. When the weather was fine and the sun came out the scenery was breath-taking. The landscape was nothing like that in the Shire, everything was new to her. Many a time she would miss being addressed while she stared at the sights, but thankfully no one took offence at her distraction.

She stood in places she had only traced fingers over before on maps, and she knew she would never study the faded papers in the same way again. Things meant so much more when you had actually seen them. Now she had set eyes on the watch tower of Amon Sul on Weathertop hill, had crossed the Last Bridge. Next she wanted mountains.

-

"There are five of us: Saruman the white, Radagast the brown, and then there's the two blues...You know, I've quite forgotten their names...they went east very long ago...Ah!" Gandalf's face fell as he took in the sight before him.

They had come across an old broken down building. Once upon a time it had been a farm house. There was very little left now of the walls and roof: it must have stood empty for some years to have sustained such damage. It was quite extraordinary, Bella thought, what wind and rain could do given a few decades to work.

"A farmer and his family used to live here..."

Bella took in the land. It was a nice looking plot, not a bad place to live at all, if you liked the quiet. "You were acquainted?"

Gandalf glanced down at her, slightly startled by the interruption to his musings. "Not as such, I passed this house on my travels once."

"Very long ago?"

The wizard's expression was grim. "No. Not four years."

Bella gaped and turned for a second inspection. "Four years...?"

"We make camp here!" Thorin called. "Oin! Get a fire going. Fili! Kili! Watch the ponies. Stay close to them."

Bella sent Gandalf a look of unease. Something in the back of her head was whispering a warning as she gazed at the way the stones that once made walls were scattered far from where nature should have brought them to fall. She was rather relieved when the wizard walked towards the dwarf king in mind to persuade him to move the company on. This place no longer seemed so welcoming, and now Bella thought it there was a strange odour carried in the air.

"Confound the stubbornness of dwarves! I have had quite enough of it!"

The wizard had been unsuccessful then.

"Why Gandalf, wherever are you going? And for what reason? It will soon be dark!" Ori cried after the old man.

"I am going to look ahead, master dwarf. Why? Because it pains me greatly to be in the presence of such stupidity! I believe only Mr. Baggins would understand." And he was off, grumbling nonsensically as he went.

Bella wondered what Thorin could have said to have angered the wizard so.

"Bombur, get dinner started. Burglar, assist him!"

She jumped at the leader's sharp command. Bombur didn't pause before obeying, none of the dwarves would. Bella didn't like being told what to do by anyone.

Oh yes, Mr Baggins understood perfectly.

She hoped Gandalf would be back soon. Sighing, Bella collected the supplies they would need to cook and tuned in to Bombur's recipe plan. There were things to learn from him and if no treasure was to be gained from this venture she would at least have a few more tricks up her sleeve when it came to stews.

-

"Here, take this to the lads, will you." Bombur handed her two bowls.

Bella was only too happy to oblige, for Bifur had been staring at her with narrowed eyes for quiet some time and she was eager to escape his gaze. She balance a bowl in each hand and quickly made for the woods in search of the two brothers. She found them not far in.

Bella raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"We're watching the ponies."

She snorted. "I know that. I just did not know one had to stand so still to do so."

Fili and Kili had their attentions fixed on the animals, as if seeing something Bella could not.

"Ah, well," Fili gave her a distracted look. "We seem to have encountered a problem, you see."

Bella would admit, she could not see: there appeared nothing wrong.

"We had fifteen, now we only have thirteen." Kili finally spoke.

She did a mental sum. "Oh."

The three off them stared for a minute in silence. Bella pushed a bowl into each brother's hands. "Eat. All problems are better solved with food in one's stomach."

No matter how many times she counted, there were still two ponies missing. "Did they wander, you think?"

Kili shrugged, worry evident in his stance. "We did not dare leave these remaining. Why they would part from the others I do not know, they normally stay close together-"

There was a crash nearby.

Fili dropped his food and grabbed the back of his brother's tunic to push him to the ground. "Get down!"

Bella did so, but kept her head up to watch in horror as the cause of the noise became apparent. "Oh my-!"

"Troll!"

The towering creature picked up a squealing animal in each of its giant hands, and Bella turned to whisper-shout at the brothers in a strangled voice. "How on middle-Earth did you miss that!?"

They followed as the troll lumbered off. "Look, there's a light!"

"Great! Multiple trolls." Fili moaned in despair. "And they've got Moppet!"

"We should tell Thorin. Now." Bella said from her crouched position behind a log. She moved to return to the company. Fili and Kili hesitated. "We should get out of here!"

Bella could tell they wanted to do just that, but she also saw that the last thing they wished to do was to inform Thorin of the situation.

"He doesn't have to know, we could-"

"No!" Bella knew the brothers were desperate to earn their uncle's approval and she was more than happy to let them try: some place where there were no dangerous man-eating trolls and ideally everything sharp was covered in thick padding.

Bella mentally groaned as she watched their faces fall, so sure were they of their leader's disappointment. "He could not expect you to sort such a thing out yourselves, in fact I believe he would think you extremely foolish for considering it."

They did not look convinced. Valar, help me.

"You go and tell, be fast. I will sneak a little closer and see if I can not free the ponies before you return. If so then you will need not say that the troll took two before gaining your notice."

Fili and Kili took this compromise (to Bella's mixed feelings of relief and dread), seeing it was the best they would get. "Be careful, Mr Bilbo. Don't let yourself get caught!"

"Caught?" Bella spoke with fake indignation. "Who do you take me for? I'm the company burglar!"

She watched as they disappeared between the trees and out of sight before turning to towards the light and letting out a laugh that sounded slightly mad even to her own ears. "I am the company burglar!"

She trampled forward through the undergrowth. What was she thinking? Bella was glad the circumstance had not really hit her yet, for if it had she would surely be running in the opposite direction.

"The company burglar indeed!"


	10. The Company Burglar

Bella's mind only caught up with her feet when she reached the edge of the clearing from which the light was emanating. She snuck a glance around the tree she hid behind at the three immense forms surrounding the fire and almost bolted. Bella had to grip at the bark to remain upright. She had no doubt now that it had been the trolls that had destroyed the farmers house. They had most likely eaten the inhabitants. She closed her eyes tight and took a deep breath. This unfortunately did not have the effect she had hoped: the foul stench the creatures possessed was at this distance rather strong.

The frightened sounds of the ponies reached her ears and her legs shook as she forced herself to take a second look.

The poor animals were enclosed at the back of the clearing, their escape prevented by rock on one side and thick rope on the others. The trolls themselves seemed preoccupied with their large cooking pot and had their backs to their catch. Bella saw this as her chance, unwilling to wait both in case her own nerves failed her and for fear the trolls would soon turn their attention to the ponies.

She picked her steps carefully, doing her utmost best to remain unnoticed.

"That tastes disgusting!"

"Well its not finished yet, is it?!"

Bella gave the ropes a tug.

"If you think it's so bad then why don't you cook for a change!"

A few more fruitless pulls and a perhaps unnecessary kick to a wooden post. Okay, so maybe the ropes were stronger than they looked. She would need to cut them.

"Oi! Keep yer filthy paws off!"

Bella frantically searched for her knife. 'Idiot! Bella, what good is a pocket knife when it's not in your pocket!'

She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally found it, and quickly began sawing away. Almost there...

Bella rushed to shoo the ponies out, "Go! Go!"

"Hey!" The trolls couldn't possibly miss their dinner running off, but where much too slow to grab the animals.

"You didn't tie them up right!"

"ME! It was-"

"What's that!?"

Bella was frozen where she stood, fear coursing through her veins. She had not given much thought about what would happen after she had freed the ponies. She supposed her plan would have been 'run', but she had not been quick enough to avoid the troll's sight and now under their gaze she found her legs would not obey her.

"Is it alive?" A giant finger poked at her stomach.

"Of course it's live, it's what lost us our sheep, I'll bet!"

"Those were horses, you-!"

"-Shut up!" Bellowed the seemingly most intelligent (if such a word could be used) of the trolls.

"You!" It turned to Bella. "What are you?"

"Yes! It's not a man, not a dwarf, not an elf. What is it?"

Bella choked in trying to get back her voice. "I-"

"Speak!"

"I'm a hobbit! A halfling! One of the small folk!"

"A 'obbit? Never heard of a 'obbit before!"

"Maybe it's lying!"

"Shake it! Then it'll talk!"

Bella was finding it hard to breath. She could only stare in terror as one of the monsters made to grab her. 'Move Bella! Why won't you move!'

"Hey! Don't you dare touch him!"

She whipped her head around to locate the owner of the voice. She could not have been happier at that moment to see Kili and for a second she was not at all annoyed at him for putting himself in danger for her sake. Then she realised it was just Kili. Alone.

"You fool! Get out of here!"

He didn't listen, of course. The young dwarf stood his ground as the troll's turned their attention towards him.

"There's another one!"

"It's a dwarf, that is!"

"No its not! It ain't got no beard!" Kili readjusted his grip on his sword.

"You were meant to get the others, not follow after me by yourself!"

The trolls seemed to rejoice at the word 'others'.

"There's more of 'em!"

"I wonder what they taste like-!"

It was with a roar that the rest of the company arrived, springing from the bushes with their weapons drawn. They did not hesitate in their attack and soon the clearing became a battle ground with Bella doing her utmost not to get trampled.

She weaved in between dwarves and giant feet, everything appeared to be moving too quickly for her to make proper sense of. Several times she almost got stabbed getting in the way of the fight, and was knocked to the floor on her knees before Thorin noticed and yanked her up.

"Keep out of the way hobbit, if you can't do anything of use! Hide! Hide or you'll get squashed!" He pushed her towards the trees.

So she hid, bent low to the ground in a thorn-bush, and watched the scene with fright. Bella cursed at not having her bow and arrows – they were far back at the camp. The only other thing that may have helped her protect herself might have been her pocket knife, but she had dropped it and it was now lost in the leaf-litter.

Oin and Gloin appeared to be doing quite well and Fili and Kili were holding their own. Dori and Nori might have been better off if they did not both keep their eyes so much on Ori. Thorin, Balin and Dwalin were fighting furiously, and Bombur, Bifur and Bofur were doing the trolls quite some damage. The trolls did not fall easily though, and many large fists found contact with short forms with bruising force. She saw every hit they lay and every hit they took, each time praying that none of the company would be badly hurt.

Every time one of the dwarves fell they were quick to get back up, which was why when Dwalin of all people was thrown down hard against a tree and stayed down, Bella feared the worst. When he did not move for some time she made her decision, all but forgetting Thorin's words to stay put, and ran towards the dwarf.

As fate would take it however, he seemed to shake himself back into life before she could get to him and threw himself back into the fight with a loud battle cry. Bella was left standing at the edge of the clearing, suddenly lost.

"Mr Baggins!" She only just dodged the bolder that was lobbed in her direction. It smashed through the tree branch behind where she had been standing with terrible force.

"Bilbo!" Bofur's shout of warning barely reached her ears: one of the trolls was charging in her direction, a heavy log raised in its fist and with the intent to knock her into the ground such that she would not rise again. In that moment she saw the looks of horror on the dwarves' faces, she saw the fear in Kili and Fili's expressions as she froze for a second time that day. Thorin was closest to her and made to push her from harms way: Bella even glimpsed a flash of worry in his eyes before she squeezed her own shut to wait for the inevitable.

Rough hands found grip on the back of her waistcoat, throwing her off balance and away from the swing of the troll which passed so close she could feel it. Her and Thorin met the ground even as the filthy creature abandoned its wooden weapon and swiped again with an open palm. Bella almost screamed when the dwarf's hold on her was ripped away.

All other movement in the clearing had ceased.

Bella met Thorin's gaze and gulped. If looks could kill the one he gave her then would have fell her and everyone else within a ten meter radius. She had disobeyed his orders to stay hidden and had ended up with this situation. If the trolls didn't kill her, he would.

"Alright, drop your weapons! Drop your weapons or the dwarf gets it!"

Oh, she would pay for this humiliation...It was very un-kingly, being dangled upside-down several meters in the air by a troll.


	11. Arguments over Dinner

Before anyone knew it they were tied up in sacks and thrown onto the forest floor in a great pile, all except poor Dwalin, Bifur, Gloin, Dori and Nori, who had been stripped of their armour and outer clothes and roped to a log hung over the fire.

There had been no question of a fight after Thorin had been captured. Even if the dwarf had given some protest that they should not abandon arms, no one would risk losing their leader by continuing their onslaught. Without Thorin their quest would be somewhat lacking in purpose. Whether Bella liked it or not, they needed him.

"That's hot! That's much too hot!" Dori was unfortunate enough to be tied nearest to the flames.

His brother was also unlucky. "If we get out of here alive, you must promise me, Master Gloin: never remove your boots again!"

"I will not say anything, laddie!" Gloin growled, wriggling his feet closer to Nori's face, who promptly started coughing. "Only that you should learn to hold your breath!"

It seemed that the graveness of the situation and the promise of a sticky end had brought no small amount of madness to the company. Bombur was wailing something about lost supper and Balin was muttering under his breath. Dwalin and Bifur seemed to be holding a contest over who could swear loudest, and though it could not be told for sure what Bifur said, the tone of voice conveyed a lot. Fili appeared to be trying to throttle his younger sibling, who had apparently admitted to having broken something of his brother's in the face of his coming death. Bella decided not to intervene. Afterall, there was only so much harm that Fili could do when stuck in a sack. "Ow Ow Ow! Uncle Thorin! He bit me!" Or not...

There was very little any of them could do in the way of movement, bound as they were. Bella was smaller than the others and she thought she may be able to stand if she tried. At the moment though, the company's best hope seemed to be in the place of little Ori, who had managed to roll onto his stomach and was now inching his way across the ground, doing a marvelous impression of a giant brown misshaped caterpillar.

Thorin had been almost shockingly quiet since being put back down on the floor. Bella thought that maybe he had been held the wrong way up a tad too long and shaken about a bit too much, for he had for a while looked rather dazed and had forgotten to be angry at anyone. Soon, however, his glare was back, boring holes into her skull. It seemed he had decided that if he was going to be eaten by trolls (and at this point in time, indeed, it appeared he would be, no matter how unfitting a death it would be for royalty), he would at least go out leaving her with no doubt that he blamed her for it all.

Bella scowled and attempted to take no notice of him. There simply must be a way out of this! She would not just sit there and wait to be roasted. Think, what can be done...Oh, if only we still had our wizard with us! Bella thought and thought, and then suddenly it came to her.

Sunlight - it turned trolls to stone.

"Put some more wood on that fire! They'll never cook like that!"

Bella looked to the sky. It was still dark, but the night was not young. They could make it. They had to.

"You can't eat them!"

The trolls paused to look at Bella as she struggled to her feet. The closest narrowed it's eyes at her. "Why not?"

"I- They-" Bella frantically tried to come up with something -anything- to stall for time. " They're infected! With- With parasites !"

Yes, that'd do. Bella ignored the noises of outrage from behind her. "Yes, yes, nasty business! Don't imagine you'd be able to hold them down - you'd have to have mighty strong stomachs, they would taste so foul. And then there's always the chance they'd pass the things on to you-"

"-Parasites! I don't have parasites! You have parasites!"

...Kili, I will murder you.

Various objections and insults were thrown and Bella got the sudden urge to hit something...or someone. Stupid dwarves, couldn't they see she was trying to help? She wanted to glare at each and every one of them, but feared if she turned her back on the trolls for any length of time they would lose what little belief they had in her words.

Thump!

The dwarves fell silent and Bella could not help but take a glance over her shoulder. Everyone was focused on Thorin, but Thorin was focused on her. The dwarf was no longer glaring at her, but had her pinned with an emotionless gaze, almost as if he were egging her on. One by one the company's attentions turned back to her and the trolls.

"I- I've got parasites...as thick as my mother's thighs!" Oin was the one to start them off.

"My parasites are the biggest parasites, the biggest parasites you've ever seen!" Kili cried, the others adding things similar.

"They are!" Fili nodded furiously. "He's riddled with 'em, it's rather disgusting. I've seen them, and I can tell you there's no one more infected-"

"-well! I say they're the biggest parasites you've ever seen, but they're nothing compared to my brother's! He's the one who gave them to everyone in the first place-!"

"-Alas! I remember well the day they reached his brain!"

Bella rolled her eyes. Trust the brothers to turn this into a fight.

"Then what about you?"

"What!?" Bella squeaked as she found herself hoisted up into the air by one of the monsters.

"Do you have parasites too? We could always eat you!"

Bella attempted to struggle and protest, but the large hand held her tightly and though she opened her mouth no words came out. "That pathetic creature? Can you not see it's diseased? So small and weak..."

Reasonably, perhaps Bella should have thanked Thorin for providing her a distraction, but instead she felt her rage take hold: he said those words with all the smugness of a well placed insult.

"Him down there," She found herself saying. "You don't even want to touch him. He hasn't washed in I don't know how long, smells terrible! Quite frankly I'm surprised you didn't notice when you had him at arms length!"

"-confused too, plainly-" Thorin glared.

Bella could not find care enough to stop. "-Have you smelt him? You would need some awfully strong herbs to cover that stench!"

"-Can't even understand the simplest of commands-"

"-I could recommend some plants myself but none would be of much-"

"Shut it! Shut it!" Bella was thrown into the pile of dwarves, landing on top of Ori and poor old Balin with an 'oof!'. The troll went back to turning the spit on which Dwalin, Bifur, Gloin, Dori and Nori still hung, all looking rather red. "You! You think I don't know what you two are doing! Well, I don't particularly feel like turnin' to stone!"

"I say we eat them right now! Raw!" One made to snatch up Bombur. "The fattest is mine!"

Bombur squealed and tried to wriggle away from reaching fingers. Bifur cursed loudly. Bella's mind was in over-drive, she turned frantically towards the slowly lightening sky. "Can I suggest-"

"-I would taste better!" Bofur was trying to put himself between the trolls and his brother.

The dwarf's words set Nori off. "But not as good as me!"

"Him! As if! Eat me first!"

"No, me!" They were all getting desperate now they were so close to the end of the night, so close to escape. Oh, how cruel fate would be to have her plan fail at this time: day could only be minutes away. She would never see Bag-End again, never see the rolling hills of the Shire, walk the woodland paths. What of her cousins, uncles, aunts and relatives? What would they say? Would her friends raise their drinks in memory of her down at the Green Dragon one night? Or would no one care, only see what they could take of her belongings when years had passed and they realised she would not be returning home? Oh, and the company! They too would not see-

"Stop bickering about who will first meet their end!" A booming voice cut through the clearing. Gandalf! Just in the nick of time!

There was a mighty crack as the wizard brought his staff down on the rock, splitting it in two. Beams of sunlight streamed over the horizon, dancing through the trees and softening dark shadows into grey haze.

"Let the dawn decide!"

-

Gandalf was quick to release them all from their sacks, though it took a little longer to get Dwalin, Bifur, Gloin, Dori and Nori down from over the fire. In the end though all five dwarves were back on their feet and only slightly cooked - cheeks burnt red from the heat and dry eyed, but otherwise unharmed.

Most of the company looked ready to drop asleep now that the danger had passed and the excitement was finished. None of them had slept of course, and only some had eaten since lunch the day before: their energy was now quite drained. A few of the more curious and awake of the company gathered around the grey stone statues to inspect the creatures that had almost eaten them. (Hey, Mr Bilbo, look! I can fit my whole head in its mouth!")

Bella sat shakily on a tree stump and buried her face in her hands. Once this adventure was over she would need to take a long holiday.

On the other end of the clearing Gandalf and their leader were in discussion.

"They could not have traveled by day." Bella heard the wizard muse.

"Then there must be a cave nearby."

Thorin let his gaze pass over the company, many of whom were sprawled on the ground. "We will search for it later. Let us return to camp. We will rest 'til noon, then we head off on foot: the ponies have all bolted, I fear."

Bella did not know how she managed to stand and drag her feet back to where the old farm house stood, but somehow she must have done. She found herself sitting on her pack, staring into the dead fire. Gloin was already snoring, but many of the others were still settling down. Thorin had said nothing to her, he had not even spared more than a glance in her direction. She had not thought the silent treatment was his style, but it probably had something more to do with Gandalf's presence than the dwarf's choice. For this Bella was thankful: she was not in mind to deal with the leader now. She was exhausted, not even her hunger would keep her from sleep right now.

Bella did not notice Bifur standing in front of her for quite some time as she struggled to arrange her bed-mat. The first she knew of him was the sight of his boots. He was staring again. Bella stared tiredly back, wondering what he could want. Eventually he spoke up. Bella, of course, could not answer.

He spoke again, the same words with more emphasis, before turning to speak to a camp of sleepy dwarves. He spoke loud and agitated, louder still when he was ignored, but in the end attracted very little attention from the rest of the group, which along with her blank look seemed to make him all the more flustered. If the others could understand him they may well have paid him more mind, but they couldn't and so they didn't. Bella only watched in silence as Gandalf made his way over and placed a hand on Bifur's shoulder, whispering words of ancient language into his ear.

The dwarf stopped raving and stood quiet for many moments. He then seemed to come to a decision. He muttered a reply to the wizard before stepping forward and bending down so he was on Bella's level. Bifur's eyes searched her face one last time, then he smiled, took her hand in his and gave the lowest bow he could being already so close to the ground.

Standing up he spoke yet more words Bella could not understand, before walking off and leaving her very confused. She looked to Gandalf, who laughed. "He says you are much too pretty to be a burglar, Mr Baggins."

Bella blinked. She could not find it in herself to be surprised Bifur had found her out, but immediately counted herself exceedingly lucky that he was the only one in the entire company who could not so easily tell, and that he did not appear to be planning on exposing her after hearing Gandalf's words. As it was the scene had only attracted a few strange looks, and would soon be forgotten.

Bella lay back and closed her eyes, blocking out the sounds around her as best as possible. Later she would ask the old wizard what it was he had said to the dwarf and what it had been that gave her away to Bifur. Her voice, her face, the way she walked or sat? For now though, she found it could wait.


	12. The Brown Wizard

Noon came all too soon for Bella, but she was quick to pack her things and be back on her feet. She made sure to strap her bow and arrow case securely to her back, hoping they would bring some comfort to her now utterly destroyed nerves. She couldn't believe they had all gotten through the last night with only a few bruises and scrapes to show for it. They had been very lucky.

The company made their way through the wood in silence and with no small amount of haste. Thorin obviously wanted to make up for what he saw as wasted time and set a pace that had Bella tripping over tree roots to keep up.

They found the cave they were looking for easily.

"A troll hoard." Gandalf stopped at the entrance. "Let us see what it holds."

Bella almost fainted at the foul stench. She felt her head swim. 'Lets not.'

Most of the group filed in to take a look, going deep into the cave to see what they could find. Bella remained in the mouth, struggling not to take notice of Fili and Kili, who had stayed with her and were pretending to gag at the smell, making retching noises and clutching their throats. She wished the others would hurry up.

The first to return to the outside were Bombur, Ori and Balin, then Thorin sporting a shiny new sword. Elvish in make, unless her eyes deceived her. Bofur appeared next.

"They're making a long term deposit." He snorted with a glance back over his shoulder, as if the idea of gold and riches meant little to him. He made to move from the cave, away from the thick air.

Bella followed, but paused when she almost stood on something hard and silver. Curious, she kicked away the dead leaves and twigs before bending down to inspect her find. It was a sword. Straightening up she gasped when light hit the blade in her hand. It shone bright, and she could tell the edge was still sharp. It was short, but the perfect length for a hobbit, light yet solid in her grip, like it was made for her.

"The times we live in are growing harder." Bella jumped as Gandalf appeared behind her. "And those who do not carry swords can still die by them."

She turned the blade over in her hands.

"Orcs roam these lands, goblins hide in mountains we must pass through. I advise you keep it, and I pray you never have to use it." The old wizard's piercing eyes met hers. "But if you do, or your bow for that matter, remember this: true courage is knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one."

Gandalf offered her a scabbard, plainly not the one belonging to her new weapon, as it was slightly too large. The sword fit though, and Bella tied the leather strap around her hips tightly as the rest of the company ran boisterously past, some holding numerous trinkets in their hands.

Bella joined Bombur and Bofur and watched as the group showed what they had discovered to each other. Dori was presenting some silver clasps to Ori, and Oin and Gloin sat sorting their treasure. Dwalin had acquired some rather nice gold rings, which he was polishing on his sleeve. Gandalf she noted had also picked up a sword for his own.

Nori rushed over, uncharacteristically excited, and trailed more sedately by Bifur. "Look! Look!"

Bella admired the shiny objects, the jewellery in particular, for she did have tastes for such things. Nori caught her gaze lingering. "Take anything you want Mr Baggins, you too Bofur."

Bofur chuckled and declined, but Bella hesitantly picked out a pretty golden pendant.

"You really do have no care for these things, do you?" Nori sighed at Bofur in exasperation. "You do not wish for riches, so why did you come on this journey?"

Bella looked up to hear the dwarf's answer.

"Me?" He laughed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I'm here because they said the beer would be free."

Bella frowned. "But we have no beer."

"Aye, and how sad that makes me."

The company did not linger much longer, but did not get far from the cave, only just having made to leave when Thorin let out a shout.

"Something's coming! Draw arms!"

Bella's stomach dropped, and she quickly pulled out her new weapon. Her bow would be her weapon of choice, but she could tell the blade she now carried was elvish, the craftsmanship gave it away. She had always loved stories of elves best and she knew very well that elvish blades would glow blue when orcs and goblins were near. She dreaded what she would see.

But the blade was silver, and even after a few seconds of staring it remained so.

Bella opened her mouth to inform the others, but was cut off by a large brown blur streaking passed them at high speed.

"Radagast!" Gandalf cried. "Everyone, stand down!"

-

Bella in all honesty did not know what to make of the strange little wizard who stood conversing with Gandalf. He looked rather eccentric. And unwashed.

The dwarves could only hear snippets of their conversation, so waited in awkward silence, not wished to anger the wizards by interrupting. Bella edged slightly closer to the two, for while she thought eavesdropping was rude, it was something hobbits had a proficiency for and in such company as she shared currently it would hardly lower her respectability further.

"...almost lost him...such dark power...never before have I felt..."

"...cannot be...fortress...it is empty..."

"No! It is not! I went...a necromancer, Gandalf! ...what I saw!...summoned a..."

"...let us hope not...morgoth himself...this-"

"WARG!"

The two wizards startled at Dori's shout, and Bella spun around to the company to search for the danger. She heard the rushing of giant paws, the harsh panting, the breaking of branches. The creature fell not a meter away from her, Bofur's mattock buried in its side and both of Nori's knives deep in its neck for good measure. Bifur stood in front of her protectively, weapon still raised in defense. She had barely had time to put her hand to her sword. Bombur gave the animal a kick, it did not stir.

There was a crash as a second beast ripped through the trees, only to be taken down by Balin and Dwalin.

There was a moment of silence as everyone surveyed the damage.

"These are scouts." Gandalf hurried over, followed by the brown wizard.

Thorin's voice was grim. "Then there'll be an orc pack not too far behind."

'Orc pack?' Bella groaned. 'Why did they have to come in packs?'

The last thing she wanted to do was bear witness to another fight. She prayed the dwarves would not make a stand.

"They will be many and we are few...We must run."

'Oh, thank goodness...'

"I'll lead them off!" Everyone turned at Radagast's proclamation.

"Those are Gundabad Wargs." Gandalf argued. "They will catch and eat you!"

Radagast drew himself up in indignation.

"These are Rhosgobel rabbits." He gestured. "I'd like to see them try!"


	13. Chase on the Planes

So they ran, through the trees and up the hill, Gandalf and Thorin leading their path.

Bella wished she had longer legs. She had set herself the aim of keeping in line with Bombur, but he proved himself remarkably fast for his size, and Bella found herself staring at his gradually distancing back. It was not only her that marveled at the dwarf's speed: Nori was beside her, his pace slowed slightly for her sake. "How does he do that!?"

Bella watched disbelievingly as Bombur streaked past an incredulous Dori and Ori, and then a cursing Gloin. "...I do not know."

They reached open land, grassy planes and rocky outcrops.

"Stop!"

Everyone skidded to a halt behind Thorin's raised hand. The faint howls of wargs met their ears.

"There!" Fili pointed. It was Radagast he had spotted; his pursuers breathing down his back.

Bella gasped as the wizard was almost caught by a rider, only escaping by an inch as the orc was knocked off his warg by a low rock. She was sure she heard laughing from Radagast as another attempt to capture him failed, and while the move had been a clever one on his part, Bella did not think that the situation merited such a response. Mad. Complete and utter bonkers, him and his sledge-pulling rabbits... Perhaps though, she could see how Gandalf had taken to him. 'He means well, maybe had a few mushrooms of the wrong sort, but that is all.'

Bella nearly did not notice the pack was heading in their direction, too caught up was she in the details of the chase.

"We didn't tell him which way we were heading!" She wailed in distress.

"Come! Follow me! Make haste, all of you!" Gandalf took them off to the left, away from the beasts. Bella was urged along by Bofur, but did not need any encouragement to be pushed into a flat out sprint. Oh no, she had only just gotten out of being eaten a few hours ago, she'd be damned if she was now because she was too slow!

Eaten by trolls or eaten by wargs...Bella did not know which sounded worse.

She was thankful to Bifur, who kept at her back at all times though he could have easily over taken her. As it was he put himself in a position to defend her from what may attack from behind. She would have to find him some flowers to show her gratitude if they ever got out of this scrape. She could not find it in herself to be irritated that he felt he needed to look after her now he knew she was a woman, because right now she wanted to be protected, she was terrified.

The air about the company had changed, the situation had just turned more serious. They had seen the number of foes going after the brown wizard: it was more than they had imagined, and though Radagast seemed to be holding his own they would not fair so well if seen. They could not move half as fast on foot.

"Wait!" Ori was yanked by his hood back behind the large rock the front of the company had just rounded.

The chase passed and they were moving again. Bella got the impression Gandalf was getting desperate, he did not speak a word but led them in all directions as they did their best to keep out of sight. She hoped that the stone they had just circled was merely similar to, and not in actual fact the same one as they had passed earlier, and that they had not been over that familiar looking patch of mud before.

The next thing Bella would later consciously be able to remember they were huddled along the side of a rocky outcrop, holding their breath. There was a warg rider above them, smelling the air for the scent that had drawn it from its pack. Bella was frozen, clutching the rocky surface at her back for some form of solidity to anchor herself to. Everyone did their best not to make a sound. Thorin sent a nod at the youngest of his sister's sons.

Kili took a deep breath and dropped his gaze. Bella still saw his fear, and was met with the urge to stop the boy as he carefully pulled out an arrow. He listened for a moment, trying to discern the rough position of his target before he made his move. He stepped out of the safety zone provided by the stone, and into the line of the orc's sight. Bella heard the monster give a screech, and tightened her eyes shut.

It was all over quickly, Kili's arrow hitting the orc in the neck. One of Nori's knives was hurled at the warg as it made for them, causing it to fall. Every dwarf in the company buried their weapon in the creature, wishing to silence the thing before it's noises attracted the attention of others.

Their effort was useless in the end, their location had been given away. They ran again but at that point had little chance and they were soon trapped in the open. There was no way of escape: the orcs had them more or less surrounded.

All around Bella the dwarves were raising their weapons. Kili went for his bow, so she did too, keeping close to his side. Thorin sent the two of them a look, its meaning as clear as day: 'Don't just stand there, shoot something!"

They each selected a target as the pack grew close. Kili's arrow struck an orc in the shoulder, causing it to fall from its mount. Bella's hit a lone warg in the side, but the animal only gave a start and a growl before continuing its path.

"Aim for the head or neck, or else try for an orc." Gloin advised her from her right, where he was readying his axe. "Warg hides are tough."

The pack circled them for a while before a warg rider started to charge. It was quickly taken out by Dwalin and Thorin, but by that time others had begun forward. Bella found herself notching arrow after arrow, but while only a few missed and she often managed a hit, still none of them proved fatal. She had never had any real practice on moving targets before, and found she generally hit back legs and sides, never striking deep enough to cause significant harm. Kili had taken down another two screaming orcs.

The company was immersed in the fight, they did not have time to think. They didn't even notice when Gandalf disappeared from view.

Bella could hear the sounds of their battle on either side of her, but did not look to check how everyone was doing, focusing instead on her job of trying to take down the beasts before they reached the group, and making sure Kili did not stand in his place alone.

There was an awful lot of shouting from the other dwarves, and Bella thought that they must be faring well enough, for if the fight had proved too much of a struggle surely some of the creatures would have got past them to her and Kili by then: they were a target due to their stillness.

The moment this thought had passed through her mind she knew she had brought some curse upon herself. She heard Bifur swear and shout a warning, and though she did not understand the words he spoke she knew they were meant for her.

Bella spun around, arms raised from where she had been just about to shoot. She gave a yelp and in her shock let go of her bow string. A humongous warg practically dropped on her feet, causing Bella to do a little dance out of the way. The monster had been pierced between the eyes by her arrow, which had been driven deep with force by the closeness of the range.

The company was starting to be over run: another wave of orcs that had been holding back now attacked with brutal intent.

Kili abandoned his bow and went for his sword, only just making it in time to swing at a warg which was dragging its already dead rider along the ground by its side. Its stomach was slashed as it pounced, and it collapsed on top of the young dwarf, causing both him and Bella to get lost in their panic to remove him from under the foul creature.

"Kili! Burglar!" They turned at Thorin's shout, Kili just having managed to wriggle free and working to calm his breathing after the scare. The rest of the company had already disappeared into whatever passage or hole Gandalf had found. Bella grabbed Kili's arm and pulled him with all her might until he began to recover from shock and move his legs: stumbling, he followed her in the direction of his uncle's voice.

The leader swung his sword to dispatch another warg. "Run!"

They were doing so as he spoke, tripping over themselves as they sprinted over uneven ground towards the rock, the sounds of the remaining orcs and wargs close at their backs.

They practically dived down the opening in the stone, Thorin not a second behind them. Bella found herself rolling, only to be brought to a stop when she hit Bifur's feet. Kili was not so lucky as her in his fall. He more or less skidded down on his front, and landed rather hard at the bottom. Fili expressed his relief when his brother claimed he was unharmed, and pulled him to his feet. Bella however did not miss him hide bloody hands in his pockets, raw from where skin had scraped against rock and had lacked any kind of protection clothing could bring.

Bella unconsciously dismissed any bruises of her own she may have acquired, and set narrowed eyes on Kili as Bifur went about brushing the dust off of her waistcoat, daring the youngster to try and tell her he was fine. He had almost been squashed by an overweight warg, for goodness sake!


	14. The Last Homely House

Sounds of battle still echoed from above and Bella realised that another party must have engaged the pack. They had seen no one else on the plains but Radagast though, and the company wondered who it could be to cause the beasts to make such a racket. When the body of an orc fell down the opening they got their answer in the form of a long, golden feathered arrow sticking out of its chest.

"Elves!" This news brought the dwarves no joy, but Bella felt her heart skip. It was such a disappointment, that they were up there and she was down here, for she really did want to see one.

The noises of battle faded, and Dori put his foot on the steep slope they had tumbled down. "There's no getting back up there, that's for certain...Do we follow the passage?"

Dwalin snorted. "Is there anywhere else to go?"

They made their way through the narrow opening in the rock. It was quite a struggle for some of the larger members of the company, and Bofur had to give his brother the odd push, for Bombur got stuck more than once on their way.

Progress grew slow and Bella got more and more irritated as the day drew on. She was tired, she was hungry, she was behind Bombur, and Kili refused to let her tend to his hands. It was near sunset when the front of the company stopped and Bella let her frustration take over. 'What now? This was no place to settle down for the night, so why were they lingering?'

She squeezed her way in between Nori and Ori to reach the front and see what the problem was. What she saw made her gasp.

"Rivendell, home of Lord Elrond, a good friend of mine." Gandalf was saying, and Bella felt her spirits rise: she would get to see elves afterall. And a friend of Gandalf's! That would mean no night watch, a safe place to spend the night, a chance to recover from the past weeks of travel-

"Oh, Gandalf! This is the place you used to speak of in your stories: the last homely house! It is just as beautiful as you said, my friend!" She took her time to admire the giant waterfalls and stunning scenery. This was one place she was very pleased to see and she thought that she would have been happy enough to have come along on the adventure just for this sight.

"Well of course it is all that I said, Mr Baggins, or I would not have said it. It is quite the eye catcher, is it not? 'Tis very nice in June especially, I tell you. Elvish singing is not a thing to miss at this time of year, not if you care for such things."

"We are not staying." Bella turned to Thorin in surprise. "I will not accept the aid of elves."

Stubborn dwarf! Bella could not help but snap at their leader. "Of course not! That would be a silly thing to do indeed! Let us go all the way back through the passage, I'm sure we could jump up that slope if we tried hard enough!"

The dwarf king sent her a withering look. "Watch your tongue, burglar."

"Mr Baggins makes a point, Thorin." Balin dared to insert. "I do not like it, but we can not double back. We have nowhere to camp, limited supplies, and it will soon start to grow dark!"

The dwarf could not argue with that and Bella could see he knew he really had no option.

"Besides," Gandalf added with a smile. "Lord Elrond is probably one of the only people in middle-Earth able to read that map of yours."

Thorin scowled. "You led us here on purpose."

The grey wizard made no attempt to deny it. "Onwards, then?"

The leader gave a huff and began to take them down the trailing path. Bella waited for the dwarves to file past her before following at the back with Gandalf.

"Be careful here, Miss Baggins." The wizard said quietly to her as they neared the entrance to the house. "Elves are not as unknowledgeable when it comes to other races as dwarves are. They will know what you are straight away. Try to stay low until I can inform Lord Elrond of the situation."

Bella nodded, but she quickly forgot Gandalf's words when they walked into the courtyard: the place was incredible.

They were met by a dark-haired elf and Bella couldn't help but grin. Her first sighting of an elf, after years of searching the woods as a young hobbit.

Gandalf pushed through the dwarfs to address the fair creature, muttering to Thorin as he past: 'It would be best for us all if you let me do the talking.'

"Mithrandir."

"Lindir, it has been a while." The wizard lent on his staff. "We have come to see Lord Elrond."

"My Lord Elrond is not in," Lindir made his way down the last few steps to stand in front of them, obviously curious of their odd little gathering. "...He and some others are tracking-"

The elf straightened and looked to the distance, and a minute later the sound of hooves clattering on stone reached Bella's ears. A light shone in the wizard's eye. "He is back, then."

-

Later Bella would remember her confusion when she was pulled into the middle of the group with Kili, Fili and Ori by Bofur and Bifur. The elves had circled them as they slowed their horses to a halt.

What need was there for the dwarfs to draw weapons, she had thought, when the elves had not draw their own and had made no sort of threat to the company? She did not really understand the dwarves' distrust, even if she knew elves and dwarves did not get along. If these elves were of the kind to hold ill will towards travellers then Gandalf would not have brought them so far onto their land.

Gandalf had greeted the elf known as Lord Elrond, and Bella's first impression of him was that he was very noble looking with his shining brown armour and beautiful white horse (as she would expect of an elf-lord, especially of one in possession of such a fine house as he). Her next judgement was that he would do them no harm - there was a kind sort of warmth to those eyes of his.

"We finished off a pack of orcs on the plains, but most were dead by the time we got there. I wonder who could have done that, Gandalf?" Lord Elrond smiled at the old man.

The wizard hummed noncommittally. "Yes, I wonder..."

Elrond gave his friend an amused look before turning to the company and speaking words of welcome in elvish. The dwarves tensed and immediately went on the defensive.

"What is this?" Gloin growled. "Does he offer us insult?"

"No, master dwarf," Gandalf was quick to amend. "He is simply offering you food."

The group was silent for a moment before huddling into discussion.

"Well..." Gloin spoke for the company. "Lead on then."

Bella rolled her eyes as the company followed Elrond and Lindir up the steps of the house. Food: the greatest peace-maker in existence.


	15. The Hospitality of Elves

They were shown a place to leave their things and taken to a dining hall with a table piled high. Gandalf and Elrond soon wandered off to speak in private, but not before the elf-lord told the company to help themselves.

The dwarfs were quick to sit and began to fill their plates, immediately complaining about the lack of meat present.

"Muddy hands and food! No no no! Those are two things which should never mix!" Bella complained. She was quick to steer Fili away from the table.

Dwalin scoffed at her, and Bofur laughed. "A bit 'o dirt never hurt anyone, Mr Bilbo."

"A bit of dirt! A bit of dirt! That is not a bit of dirt, Mister Bofur! That is you attempting to carry the whole of middle-Earth around under your fingernails! You've touched things touched by troll! And what of the orc blood!?"

The older dwarves paid her no mind, halflings were strange creatures afterall - meeting Mr Baggins had proved that to them. The small beings (or at least theirs) appeared prone to hysterics when it came to the topic of cleanliness...they were daring though, if all had the courage to talk back to their leader as their hobbit did.

Bella managed to shoo Bofur, Fili and Kili back to a fountain near where they had dropped their packs.

"I thought you had a respect for elvish things, Mr Bilbo." Fili said, eyeing the crystal clean water.

"That is true."

"Yet you do not mind muddying their fountain?"

Bella snorted. "And you do? I believed you dwarves held no such cares."

Fili shook his head furiously.

"Anyway brother," Kili spoke with a grin. "If anyone asks who made the water brown: it was Gloin when he fell in!"

"You know," The young dwarf turned to Bella with what he must have thought a serious expression. "His beard is really white, like his brother Oin's, it is, it just looks the colour you see due to all the filth he keeps in it!"

Bella laughed at that, and Bofur called with a grin as he made his way back to the dining hall. "Don't ye let him hear you say that, lad. He'll skin ya, and yer uncle won't be able to save you when he does!"

"Nor will I make any attempt to defend you. You bring your own fate upon you." Fili chuckled at the look of mock betrayal that grew on Kili's face.

"As if I would need you to rescue me, brother. I can take care of myself."

Bella mentally snorted at that. "Speaking of...show me those hands!"

The dwarf rolled his eyes and removed them from his pockets, and when he did Bella pounced.

She was relieved to note that none of the cuts they bore were especially deep, and that they only appeared nasty due to all the dried blood and dirt on them. She thought letting him leave them was a bad idea though, for she knew what infection could do if it set in. Bella remembered well what had happened to Gruffo Boffin last summer when he had cut himself gardening and not tended to the wound quickly enough.

Fili found it entertaining at least, watching him try to escape her, though he did not know for the life of him what the struggle was for. Bella ignored the boy's curses when she forced his palms into the water: it was for his own good and she was not particularly the patient type.

"Why, whatever is this about?" Fili asked, amused. "Surely you will not miss the mud so much, brother?"

"-Ow ow ow!"

"He cut up his hands falling down that rock earlier." Bella supplied before turning back to the dwarf who's top half she had practically dunked into the fountain.

"That will sting." She warned belatedly, receiving an ugly glare in return. She paid this no heed - he had a long way to go before he could match one of his uncle's death stares.

Bella attempted to bandage his hands, but the young dwarf put up quite a fight until his elder sibling had left. Then he fell quiet and let her work.

Kili was silent for quite some time, and Bella could not help but jump when he spoke. "You fuss like mother."

She raised an eyebrow at that, his eyes widened and he was quick to stutter over his words. "I-I mean- It was not meant to be an insult!"

"And it was not taken as one, I assure you."

He seemed to relax at that.

Another silence ensued until Bella decided to inquire, "And where is your mother? The Blue Mountains? I do not expect she was too happy with you leaving on such a dangerous quest."

"No. I mean, she's dead."

"Oh!" Bella was shocked, she didn't know quite what to say. "I'm sorry! How did-? Oh no, I mustn't ask! My apologies, young dwarf."

"No, no, it is fine." Kili shook his head. "Her name was Dis, and she died because of me."

That made Bella pause. "You?"

"Mmhmm." He nodded. "When she gave birth to me she got weak and dad was gone. She never really recovered and fell ill when I was eight and Fili thirteen. And then one day, she passed away."

"Oh..." Bella picked up the spare bandages and went to put them back in her bag.

Kili watched her inquisitively. "Are you not going to tell me that it was not my fault? That's what people normally say when they hear."

"Well consider me not normal." Bella stood and patted down her waistcoat. "I will tell you no such thing."

He frowned lightly in confusion. "Why not?"

"Because from my experience, what people say and what you choose to believe are very different things, and the empty words of strangers seldom seem worth the breath they take. If you blame yourself you must learn to except what happened on your own. It is you which continues hold yourself to blame, even when no one else does."

Kili seemed to think over this for a while, suddenly so lost looking that Bella soon found her heart could stand no more of it. "Come, enough of this. It is making even the flowers wilt with despair. Let us return to the hall before Bombur eats all the food."

That made the young dwarf move. For the second time that evening Bella found herself marvelling over the power all things edible held.

As it happened Bombur had not consumed everything, a fact which gave both Kili and Bella much relief, and Kili confined in her that he had been worried for a moment that he would have ended up eating the table itself in order to avoid starvation.

Elrond and Gandalf had returned, and sat at the head of the table, still in discussion. Balin and Thorin were holding a muttered conversation, but most of the company had busied themselves laughing loudly at Bofur, who had managed to balance a spoon on his nose. Bella felt a rush of pity for any elves in Rivendell seeking quiet that evening and wondered at how Gandalf and Elrond could hear one another over all the noise.

Bella dropped down next to Dori, who was trying his hardest to convince his youngest brother to eat the green things on his plate. "-but I don't like vegetables! Especially these ones!"

"How can you know you don't like something if you don't even try it? Go on, just a bite."

"No!"

-

Darkness fell outside and by the time Elrond finally called for Lindir to show them to rooms even the more boisterous of the company had calmed down.

The dwarves chose to camp together in the roofed courtyard where they had left their packs, but Bella and Gandalf took the offer of separate accommodation. She might as well take the opportunity of privacy and a soft bed while she had the chance, Bella thought. If the dwarves preferred the ground that was their decision, but she would not continue to suffer just because they did not trust the intentions of elves enough to separate from their crowded group at night.

The room Bella was given was very nice and exceedingly spacious, as were all of those she saw on the walk though the house. She thanked Lindir graciously, and he quickly left her to herself.

Immediately Bella felt odd, it was the first time in weeks she had been so completely alone. It was strange, to say the least. She placed her pack on a chair with a frown. Everything was so quiet: no Fili, no Kili, no Bofur... Very odd.

It would of course be true that on the first night from the start of the journey that she would expect it to, sleep would not come. Bella tossed and turned restlessly for the best part of an hour until all hope left her and she found that keeping her eyes closed took more effort than leaving them open.

Bella swung her legs over the side of the bed, wide awake. Enough was enough. She couldn't lie there any longer. All she could do was think, and all she could think of were man-eating trolls, bloody battles with pale orcs, and a mother she'd never known.

Grabbing her waistcoat she made her way out of the room and into the halls. She didn't think Lord Elrond would mind her walking around, even at this time. Bella wandered aimlessly, and somehow found herself standing in a courtyard full of snoring dwarves. She picked her way over their sleeping forms to get to the garden walkways on the other side, counting them as she went.

"Nori, Balin, Dwalin-" She jumped over Bofur with a slight giggle. "Bifur."

She had to walk around Bombur: she dared not take a leap in case she did not make it. "Dori."

"-And Ori." The young dwarf had fallen asleep on his book, which she carefully pried from his grasp and set beside his roll mat. She wondered if he would notice the ink stains on his face before breakfast.

"Hmm? Mr Bilbo?"

Bella turned to Fili, who had cracked open one eye. "Go back to sleep."

He did so.

"Kili, and Gloin. No wonder your brother is half deaf, good sir, if he has had to sleep close to your snores all these years. It cannot have done the poor fellow any good."

She climbed up onto the low stone wall that surrounded the courtyard to get past the slumbering Oin.

"Having fun, burglar?"

Bella gave a start. Oin almost got a foot in the face. A rather large hobbit foot at that.


	16. Wandering Kings

Bella struggled for a moment to remain on the wall before directing an icy glare at down Thorin, not wishing him to know just how much he had scared her. She had not noticed him, sitting propped against the other side of the pillar she had been just about to swing around. "That was hardly amusing, Mr Oakenshield."

The dwarf in question dismissed her words. "Why are you up?"

"I could not sleep." Bella admitted. She glanced around the courtyard at the peacefully dreaming dwarves. "Though I could ask you the same question."

He offered her no answer, but shifted over slightly on the wall so that she could walk past him. She did so carefully, and turning back to face the dwarf for a second wondered whether or not to sit down opposite him, for he looked rather alone where he was. The idea quickly left her however, when she remembered his anger towards her the night last from the troll incident. Maybe not, she doubted he would welcome her company anyhow, and she definitely didn't desire his.

"Surely this place does not worry you so much that you are keeping watch?"

"I could not sleep." He said, mimicking her earlier words with such a tone that Bella knew he meant the conversation over.

She made to take her leave, jumping down a safe distance from Oin and heading for the garden trails.

Thorin's words once again took her by surprise, for she did not expect him to speak again. "It would be wise of you not to go far, halfling. Elves are not to be trusted."

Bella paused and glanced back. "In dwarves eyes maybe, but all the elves I have met here have been perfectly civil to me. They are polite, and have so far not taken any of my personal possessions nor started throwing them around."

The dwarf frowned slightly at that, and Bella recalled that he had not been there to witness what his company had done with her plates. "No, I at least see nothing wrong with them. Goodnight."

Bella walked and walked, until she had no chance of remembering the way back, but still had no intention of trying to find it. If she had met anyone she would not even have bothered them for directions: she was quite content, and the gardens held much to be discovered. She happened upon white statues and benches, round terraced areas with tiles and tall climbing plants with pretty purple flowers. She spent what could have been hours on a beautiful wooden bridge, staring down into the swirling gentle currents that carried that water below, and admiring the way the moon and stars were reflected on its surface.

It was a clear night, quiet too - nothing to be heard so far out but the slight rustling of the trees and the movement of water down the stream. That was when she noticed it: amid the whispers of nature, a silvery voice carried on the wind.

It was made faint at first by distance, but as she followed the sound and drew closer to its origin it became clearer, and she heard the words it spoke.

She waited as it faded, lingering on the edge of a clearing where a beautiful elf sat among the white blooms of woodland orchids.

"Who is he? The one who you sing of?"

The elf didn't seem startled by her appearance, nor offended by her sudden question. Bella supposed elvish hearing had provided a forewarning of her presence - she had not attempted to remain hidden or step silently.

"A young man of royal descent. This is where I first met him." The elf beckoned her forward with a smile, and Bella tentatively made her way closer.

Bella studied the woman in front of her. Long dark hair, blue eyes... "The name is Bella Baggins, but just Bella if you wish."

The elf smiled. "My father informed me of your presence. You may call me Arwen. I am pleased to meet you, though I did not expect to see you so far into the woods, especially at this time. Are you quite happy here at Rivendell?"

"Yes, very happy." She nodded. "Though I cannot say the same for my companions, I fear. I pray you do not take insult at their behaviour."

"That is the way now, between elves and dwarves. Do not worry yourself: we expect no great niceties from them. Hopefully one day things will change, but I am afraid it will not be today, tomorrow, nor the day after."

Bella circled the clearing in thought, her mind still wondering over the song she had heard. "Where is he, this man, if you do not mind me asking?"

"Not at all. He is somewhere far from here. He is a ranger, and comes and goes like the sun, never lingering long in one place. He visits me here, me and my father who took a part in his upbringing."

"A wandering king?"

Arwen laughed. "They are not so rare, are they not?"

Bella shook her head.

"Where fine kingdoms lie there will always be those looking with interests towards them that are less than noble or good. Even the mighty can fall."

They talked for some time, of Rivendell, the Shire, and the annoying habits of males. Bella had not had someone which she could speak freely to for a long while, and so enjoyed being able to voice whatever she wished without having to watch her words as she did around others. She found herself complaining of all sorts that had bothered her over the weeks of travel, and even things before that back in Hobbiton.

Bella was eager to know more about the kind elf that listened patiently to all she said and happily answered all questions she posed. She also wanted to hear more of the wandering king Arwen spoke of, for it sounded an interesting story, and she did like stories very much, especially the ones in which truth lay.

"He will do great things one day." Of what these great things may be the elf did not know, for what little she saw of the future she claimed was clouded, but of them she was quite certain.

Bella chuckled. "If only we could all find kings like yours, my friend. The one I know is both rude, haughty, and exceedingly proud."

"I saw your group in the halls after you arrived. I believe I know the one of which you speak: the dwarf with the beard?"

Dwarf with a beard, indeed. Elves. "That's him."

"I thought him rather handsome."

Bella spluttered before laughing loud. "An elf paying a compliment to a dwarf! The day your races make peace may come sooner than we thought!"

"Why not? He is. You did not take the time to notice?" That smile was too mischievous for its own good.

"He is tolerable, I suppose." Bella allowed, in a grudging sort of way. Maybe she had noticed. "But I believe he would better show off his good features without the permanent scowl upon his face."

Arwen left her when they reached the house, for Bella claimed she knew the way from there onwards with a reasonable amount of sureness.

She found the courtyard without any trouble: the dwarves still sprawled over the floor and snoring. Bella jumped up onto the wall as silently as possible; Thorin had fallen asleep there. She took a moment to study the dwarf's face before sneaking past. So maybe the distasteful expression he generally wore by day was not so fixed...

Even the most hardened of warriors could look peaceful in sleep.

-

The next morning Bella woke late, breakfast was already dwindling away. She was quick to grab what food she could, setting her plate down between Fili and Ori.

"I was just about to come looking for you, Mr Bilbo." Fili grinned. "Kili here was worried you had been eaten by elves."

Kili popped his head around the back of his bother. "Still have all your toes?"

Bella automatically looked down at her feet. "I believe so, but if I find some missing I'll be looking to you first. With all this green food you hate so much around, elves hardy seem the type."

Bella snorted in amusement when Thorin sent a glance longer than was usual her way when he noticed her presence. Was everyone here convinced that elves were evil?

Ori was busy sketching: they had a nice view from the open dining hall.

"If you like, master dwarf, I could show you a nice place I found in the gardens last night. It would make a very lovely picture in your book indeed."

The dwarf looked up and gave her a shy nod. Well, that decided that.

It took quite some convincing to get Dori to allow them to go off from the group, and when they finally did get away they had not been gone a minute before Fili and Kili appeared behind them.

"Thorin?"

"Arguing with Gandalf." Fili rolled his eyes. "Over that map. I doubt he'll notice we're gone."

Bella was not too sure of that, but stayed quiet.

"What uncle doesn't know won't hurt him."

The four of them spent the entire day in the gardens and the more public looking areas of the house where they saw elves walking often. Fili and Kili spent a great deal of effort trying to pull her and Ori away from Lord Elrond's library, which they had been directed to by a very helpful elf, and Bella found it lay on her to pry the three young dwarfs from the sword of Elendil, though she herself could have stayed for hours.

They did not notice when they missed lunch, but their stomachs called them back to the others for food when the sun began to sink low in the sky. They returned to merry voices so loud they did not need remember the last few paths to the courtyard: their ears guided them.

They were quick to join in the laughter, for as they reached the rest the table upon which Bombur had been sitting collapsed. Kili and Fili surged forward to help pull the poor dwarf up, giggling so hard that they were not of much use and Bombur ended up shooing them away. Bella and Ori shared a smile. This scene would not be one for the history books.

Bella dropped down between Bofur and his cousin. Bifur grunted a greeting and offered her the plant he had been toasting over the fire. She politely declined: it did not look at all appetising. The dwarf shrugged as if to say 'your loss' and began crunching away.

Bofur finally managed to sit up from where he had been rolling on the floor, hiccupping and grinning like a maniac.

"Good lord!" Bella smacked him on the back in hope of encouraging him to breathe normally. "The elves didn't give you liquor, did they?"

Bofur shook his head no.

Bella sighed as he tried and failed to control himself when Bombur began crawling over the floor to collect up all the food he had dropped on his fall, sending a dirty glare as he did.

The rest of the evening held much joking and laughing. Singing too, which Bella learnt Bofur was very good at. They ate well despite the food being green (and therefore, by Ori's reasoning, not really food at all). All in all, Bella decided Rivendell was somewhere she hoped she would return to, if all visits were to be as fun as present.

Bella excused herself for the night when the company began to call for her to sing, for though she was not at all bad at it and knew countless songs, she simply did not feel like it, and knew if she stayed the dwarves would persist.

On her way to her room she happened upon Gandalf, Thorin, Balin and Lord Elrond: it seemed the dwarves were intent on holding their ground as long as possible when it came to their map and the elf. Bella knew dwarves were stubborn, but also knew neither of the two present were stupid. They would show the map to Lord Elrond...eventually. Bella kept her head down as she passed them, muttering some unintelligible apology for interrupting as she did so.

Someone had already lit the candles in her room when she got there, and a note along with a package wrapped in white cloth sat on the small table by the side of the room. Bella picked up the note with interest. It was from Lindir, written in perfectly looped script that immediately made her both jealous and ashamed of her own penmanship. It was Lady Arwen, the letter said, that was to thank.

Arwen? Thank for what? Bella set down the parchment and reached for the package.

"Oh!" It was not wrapped in cloth, it was cloth: a night gown. She would not have to sleep in dirty clothes again.

Bella wished she had something with which to repay her new friend, and for a second thought of the gold pendant that lay in the bottom of her bag. But one could hardly give the daughter of an elf-lord a thing that had been in a troll hoard for goodness knows how long.

Bella frowned as she changed. She did not like accepting gifts, no matter how small, without having something to give in return. It was just the hobbit way-

"Mr Bilbo! Mr Bilbo!"

She could have died from shock at the bang the door made on contact with the wall.

"Out!" Bella for once was quick to recover, or at least quicker than Kili, who was frozen in the doorway. "Get out!"

The young dwarf turned on his heel and all but ran from the room, pulling the door shut behind him and causing it to slam in his haste.

Bella cursed at the empty space around her, using words that were definitely not expected from any respectable hobbit lady, and would have very possibly killed a number of the more frail old women back home. Her vocabulary had extended quite some over the last few weeks - courtesy of Dwalin and Gloin, but after this she doubted it would grow any further.

Valar help me. Bella groaned and lay a hand to her forehead before adjusting her gown and reaching for her waistcoat. She had rather hoped to get at least as far as the mountains, just to say she'd seen them if nothing else.


	17. Discovered

Bella strode to the door with a slightly sick feeling in her stomach. She imagined Kili had already reached the others by now, they probably all knew about how she had deceived them. What would they say? What would she say?

How did one go about something like this? Simply walk up, yell 'surprise!' and then everyone would laugh for a bit before carrying on as usual? Somehow she did not think that would happen. She could already see the look on Thorin's face in her mind: he'd be furious! A woman on his quest? A hobbit was bad enough!

Bella lingered with her hand on the doorknob. It was not the company's reaction she feared so much, it was the consequences of it. She had lived alone for many years, but that was quite different from making months worth of travel by ones self as she would have to do to get home. The presence of wargs, orcs and trolls had already been proven, who knew what she might run into? She was no great fighter, she would not last if she had fortune anything like they had on their way and she could hardy ask Gandalf to take her back to Hobbiton – he was needed by the company.

Maybe Lord Elrond would let her stay a while, at least until she gathered her courage. Who knew, perhaps there would be some elves heading out that were going in that direction and could take her halfway... Bella opened the door. Oh!

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Kili was still there, flushed red and sporting a terrified expression on his face, as if he expected her to hit him. Well...if it had been one of the young hobbit lads at home who had barged into her room, maybe. There was a minute of mutual staring.

Bella thought quickly and glanced up and down the hall – it was empty. "Come in."

She pulled the dwarf back inside and closed the door on any wondering eyes.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to and- and-"

"No." Bella sighed defeatedly. "It was my own fault, I thought the door locked."

The silence was painfully awkward. Bella gestured for the dwarf to sit. "Do you have fish blood in the family, or are you just so hungry for meat that even flies will do?"

He snapped his mouth closed with an audible click of teeth before continuing to eye her strangely. "You're a woman."

There was nothing to do but nod helplessly. Kili shuffled his feet and kept his head down as the silence drew on. "Why keep it a secret?"

"Would I have been welcome, if the company knew?" Bella raised an eyebrow.

"I suppose, most likely...no." The dwarf finally looked up at her again.

"You lied...so that you could come along? So that you could help us?" He asked slowly.

Bella felt a pang of guilt when she caught Kili's eye, because indeed, helping them had not been a big deciding factor of her joining the company. To her Erebor was just a fairytale land drawn on Thorin's map, the mountain the giant treasure chest that the dwarves sought for their riches. She didn't want hoards of gold, she already had enough money to live very comfortably for the rest of her life, she was a very well to do hobbit, afterall. She had wanted an adventure.

"I never lied, young dwarf, no one ever asked." Bella took to wandering about the room so as not to have to fully face the youngster that sat on her bed.

Kili snorted and shook his head. "...Who else knows, apart from me?"

"Gandalf, of course - he's the one who started this. Bifur realised a few days ago."

"Bifur!?" Hmm, not as mad as we thought, perhaps. ...Or maybe just as mad, only more observant.

"Yes."

"And no one else? I mean, why haven't any of the others noticed? It's obvious!"

Bella gave the dwarf a look. "You say so?" Even though you had no idea until just mere minutes ago?

"I- No- Just, now that I know, now it's obvious! You-!" He gestured weakly in her direction. "You don't appear anything like a female dwarf, that's for sure, but elves and men - their females look quite different from the males. You bear more resemblance to the women of their races. It's so clear now! How could none of us have thought of it?"

Bella shrugged. "I believe Gandalf had something to do with that."

Kili paused, then nodded. "He described hobbits to us, but I suppose when he did so he was specifically describing you. He said Mr Bilbo Baggins was your name, and that you were to be our burglar."

"...And so you had no reason to think otherwise. I'm not even a burglar, you know."

Kili's laugh held little humour, but he did not seemed too bothered by this second piece of information. "Mr Baggins the burglar or not, I am sure Gandalf had good reason to bring you along. No one could question that, could they?"

"Maybe, maybe not. For all I have thought on it I still fail to comprehend the mind of our wizard. He must have had reasons like you say, and I can only hope they were more than letting me state my curiosity. I imagine he sees something in the bigger picture of things, but for the life of me I don't know what it might be." Bella replaced the ornament she had been inspecting back on the side cabinet and faced the dwarf who was fiddling with the stitching on the bed sheets.

"I can't tell anyone about this, can I?"

"I- That is-" Bella hadn't expected that. "I would be grateful if you didn't. Though to be honest I thought you would have anyway."

"What? No!" Kili shook his head. "Why would I do that, if you've worked hard to keep this hidden?"

Oh. Well then. "I- hmm, okay...you will still inform your brother though, I assume?"

A pause. Then a definite, "No".

Bella rose an eyebrow. Really?

"Fili was summoned to uncle's council and I was not." The dwarf finally blurted under her gaze.

"Ah." Bella had never had any siblings of course. Could it really be that simple? 'You don't tell me things, so I won't tell you'? "This was why you came looking for me then?"

"An elf – Elrond's daughter, I believe she was - she told me where you were. I'm sorry, I did not think to knock." Bella waved the apology away.

"Uncle Thorin's letting Elrond take a look at Thror's map. I saw them making towards the falls."

Bella blinked. Quicker than she thought. "That's good news then. With any luck Lord Elrond can tell more from it than any of us can."

She took a moment to consider the situation - the young dwarf was plainly upset at being left out by his uncle and brother. "We could go and see what's going on if you wish. You know whereabouts they were heading, yes?"

"...You mean spy on them?"

Bella gasped and drew herself up indignantly. "A lady does not spy, young dwarf! She simply has the intelligence to stay put when she finds herself in an advantageous position to acquire knowledge."

Kili rolled his eyes. "Riiiight."

"Shall we go?"

He thought about it for a minute, and Bella was certain he would agree, but then-

"No," He said slowly. "No, it's fine."

"Oh." Bella supposed it would have probably taken some time to find them anyway.

"...So what gave you away? To Bifur, I mean."

Bella wondered whether Kili had ever been privy to information of any deemed importance that his elder brother was not. The look in the young dwarf's eyes said 'no'.

"Apparently my manner was to delicate, and my habits too tame."

"So we fix that. I can help you there!"

The dwarf took great enthusiasm in the idea of teaching her to act more like a male (or perhaps, just more like a dwarf), and immediately launched into how he thought she best start. Some of what he said may come to prove useful to her, and some most definitely would not. She decided not to tell him that though, for he appeared quite content to chatter away for some time, if only it meant he would not have to return to the courtyard.

Bella did her best to hide her amusement as yawns became more frequent, and the dwarf went from sitting to leaning, leaning a bit more, lying down, and then- Damn.

Somebody somewhere was laughing at her. First she could not sleep and wandered gardens until the early hours, and then a dwarf fell asleep on her bed and she ended up spending the night in a chair. Bella blamed herself for being too soft hearted to wake the youngster.

When morning came and the dwarf woke he almost died of embarrassment and was out of the room like a shot, all but screaming apologies.

The two of them were first at breakfast; though despite the early hour food was already on the table waiting for them.

They ate happily, sharing quiet jokes as they did despite their lingering uncertainty of the situation. Bella decided she was rather glad to have a friend who knew who she was that she could talk to. (Bifur couldn't do as much in the way of communication.) The others arrived and brought noise with them, and Bella could not help but watch Kili out of the corner of her eye. He stayed quiet however, and showed no inkling of going back on his word.

Perhaps he would manage to keep her secret - for the fact that for once in his life, he was in on something his brother was not, instead of it being the other way around.

Fili walked in. Kili promptly stuffed food into his mouth and ducked his head in an attempt to keep a straight expression.

Or perhaps not.

-

They were to leave straight away, Thorin informed them once they were all gathered. Eat, pack, and be ready to go within the hour. Be subtle about it. They didn't want to alert the elves of anything, if at all possible. If the dwarf king heard Bella's choked laughs from the other end of the table he didn't show it. Subtle? Dwarves?

The fact that neither Thorin nor his eldest nephew commented on Kili's absence the last night caused Bella to suspect they had been gone til daybreak. Silly of them – no one should go a whole day without sleep. It made her life slightly easier on this case though, so she supposed she should be thankful.

Bella was sad to be leaving Rivendell, but was quick to snatch her things from her room. Best not to complain.

"They will try to stop our quest now that they know of our destination," She walked into the courtyard to hear Balin speak as the dwarves finished rolling up their sleeping mats and Nori sneaked back from a kitchen raid. "We must make haste. We will meet Gandalf at the mountains."

The group was quick to be on their way, and their only interruption was Lindir, who rushed to ask them where they were going. The dwarves gave no answer, so Bella provided one for him: "Back on our journey, kind sir! Send thanks to your Lord and his daughter if you will, and take some also for yourself, for you have treated us very well. Goodbye now, I hope we meet again!"

The poor elf looked as if he wanted to prevent their leaving, but saw there was little he could do, and swallowed any words he may have had on the subject.

"As do I." He called a farewell to her in elvish, and she sent a sorry look over her shoulder as the group put more and more distance between them and the house: their departure had been anything but polite.

Bella sighed and paused in her climb of the steep trail for one last look. A great shame it was to leave such a beautiful place and such fine people.

"Do keep up, halfling!"

"Coming!"


	18. Dwarf Watching

That night they all huddled around the fire to hear the words written on Thror's map.

Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the key-hole.

None of this seemed particularly helpful to Bella, and she said as much. Gloin too was quick to ask, "Nothing more?"

Thorin shook his head and Bella could see by his eyes that he was as frustrated as she was at the maps unusefulness, only he hid it better.

The map said nothing of the location of the door, which was what they really needed to know. What if the time came and they were standing in the wrong place? What would they do then? Simply wait another year?

"That is all there was." Balin sighed.

It did not seem very hopeful.

"Durin's Day will come around quickly and we must be at the mountain at that time." Thorin stood. "The door will be found. Until then we take every day as it comes. We will set eyes upon the Lonely Mountain before long."

A muttered of agreement went around the group.

"Get some rest. Tomorrow we leave early."

The dwarves dispersed to unpack their roll mats, it being unspoken that their leader would take first watch.

Bella remained quiet as they drifted off to sleep. Every day as it comes... She supposed Thorin was right. They should not doubt so while their quest was still young, if they did they would never get anywhere. They needed to believe they could succeed.

-

Days of long travel proceeded that night and with each passing rise of the sun the distant peaks that were the Misty Mountains grew more defined on the horizon.

Any worries the company had about the map were put to the back of their minds, their purpose renewed as they trekked on and their spirits lifted by the fact that they ran into little trouble. Most days the weather held and when it did not they would all gripe about it together, which made the complaining a rather pleasant, team building sort of activity. The nights were fortunately quiet: no attacks on the company came.

Bella whiled away many of the days laughing with Bofur, finding cheer in the dwarf's pleasant optimism and quick wit. They would trail at the back of the company: sometimes joined by others, sometimes left to joke amongst themselves. Fili and Kili would often walk by their sides and share in their good humour, and Nori also was a regular addition to their little group.

Bella still didn't enjoy night watch one bit, and couldn't sleep much when she was meant to be doing so. She found counting dwarves over and over in her head calmed her nerves, even if it did make her yawn. It was a new hobby of hers: dwarf watching. She did it partly to make sure each of them was well, and partly for her own amusement. Dwarves could be a funny bunch and even the older more distinguished of them had their moments. Balin, for example, would spent at least five minutes every morning making sure his beard was curved just so. Gloin was not at his best when he first woke up and often walked into trees or tripped over slumbering others. Fili bit his nails, Ori mumbled poetry in his sleep, Thorin thought nobody had been watching when a spider had crawled out of his pipe and he had ended up flinging it across the clearing in his shock.

There was plenty of time for observing each member of the company, and Bella often found herself compiling all she knew of each of them for something to do while on night watch. People were like puzzles - each and every one different and intricately complex. Every person lived for something a bit unlike any other. Figuring out what drove individuals had always been a pass-time for her when family dinners got just too dull and what was being said could no longer hold even a fraction of her interest.

Thorin was the one her eyes always seemed to seek out first. She told herself this was because he rarely involved himself in conversation with her, only really spoke to give orders, and did not snore. She had to look sometimes to check he was still there. Both Thorin and Bella kept out of each other's way for the most part. Indeed, when they did speak it was generally from necessity. Bella still thought him rude, and he looked at her as having less value than the other members of the company. Bella believed the best way they could get along was by being a few meters away from one another at all times.

He was a good leader though, she could not deny. He made sure each member of the company got enough food, enough rest, that no one lost sight of the aim of their journey. A good King if nothing else, he could be trusted in that. His goal was simple, no matter if half impossible, and he held no deception. He was honest. Sometimes brutally so. Bella supposed she could respect this dwarf, though any of her opinion of him being raised could mostly be put down to the way he watched out for his nephews. They meant the world to him, when all was said and done.

Fili's five extra years to his brother showed, even if he did act more like his brother than he did the older dwarves. He still laughed and joked as the younger did and more often than not shared a part in whatever mischief Kili had in mind, but he was less show-offy and reckless. It was possible he had always been more mature, whether it just be from natural character or from necessity given his position as second in line to the throne. He was more serious, more dignified in the way he held himself. He was quieter than Kili and thought a good deal more before acting. He was polite, confident, could give you the sweetest of smiles and had that natural talent some possess of always being able to find the right words to say. All in all, he was a good elder brother to cling to as one grew up. He kept Kili in check, and was very protective. It was a bad idea to say anything of insult to his younger brother while he was there to hear it. That was something Bella admired most among the dwarves - their sense of family. Brothers were close.

Fili was still young in Bella's mind, even if like the other dwarves in the company he could fight and in all probability knew more of hardship and having to make decisions than she did. She could not help but think of the brothers as children - despite everything there was still an innocence there. To her Kili was the one to be kept an eye on at all times, Fili the one who could be trusted not to hurt himself if one turned their back for a few minutes.

Kili could be extremely childish. The way he moved, the way he spoke, the way he thought. He could be sulking one minute and be so overly, almost annoyingly cheerful the next. It served everyday to her as a reminder of what was at risk on their quest. She would wonder why Thorin had ever let the boy come along, but as she did not know the particulars she decided she could not question it.

He was a fine friend, the youngest of the Durin brothers, one that stuck by your side. A good lad - always meant well. Terrible at lying though. Bella had known hobbits with the same problem: when asked if they were hiding something, and they were, they would not be able to contain a large ear-splitting grin or a nervous giggle. Kili laughed when questioned and forced to attempt to lie. Bella had been surprised though - considering how badly he held on to even small secrets, he had so far managed to keep quiet about hers very well. He had not let slip and had not treated her so differently that anyone took notice. The only one of the company that suspected he was keeping something from them was Fili, and Bella had expected that anyway. Fili still had no suspicions as to what she was, all he knew was that Kili knew something and he wasn't telling.

As said, no one else suspected anything. It should be noted however that suspecting and knowing are two very different things, and there was in fact now another member of the company who was aware of the presence of Miss Bella Baggins.

Balin was kind hearted and wise. Bella thought he was rather like a short Gandalf with his grey beard, and she had in fact once dreamed a rather strange dream in which he wore a grey hat and carried a staff like the wizard did. Like the wizard the old dwarf didn't miss much. So much had been proven to her two days out of Rivendell.

It happened that Balin, for all his dislike of elves, knew enough of basic sindarin to understand a few of the word's Lindir had called in farewell to her. 'Til then, my lady! I wish you luck! He had confronted her alone while the rest set up camp, and had regarded her with scrutiny.

"I have thought long on this, I will not have you jeopardise this quest."

Bella had started to speak, but the old dwarf had cut her off by holding up a hand.

"I will say nothing to Thorin as of yet, mainly because I am under the impression this was all of Gandalf's doing."

She shut her mouth.

"But I will inform you now: if you do anything to put us or our cause at risk, I will have no choice in the matter."

Balin's gaze had softened after she nodded in understanding. "You seem like a well meaning person, Miss Baggins. Let us hope that neither of us will come to regret my judgement."

Bella knew how hard a decision keeping her secret must have been for Balin, for his conscience called upon him to tell Thorin any information that was being withheld from him, especially if that information exposed a potential liability. (Though Bella would say if she were a burden, it would probably be more to do with being a hobbit than a lady.) Still, to hide something like that from his leader was against all that Balin believed and Bella did not doubt that if she were to in some way put anyone in danger or cause trouble, Thorin would be informed and she would be packed off home before you could say 'hobbit'. Balin was the loyal follower, the trusted confident. It had always been plain to Bella that he would go wherever Thorin led.

The old dwarf's brother, Dwalin, she was rather afraid of in all honesty. He was tall, well built, and with all his tattoos and scars was quite the intimidating figure. Dwalin was not an unpleasant character and despite his stony, tough appearance, he would laugh and smile along with the rest of them when the mood was right. In all surprise he was one of the quieter, calmer members of the company - at least, when not in a fight. He was not wise like his brother, but was most definitely not stupid and he seemed content with his simple way of thinking about things. He observed and came to a logical conclusion, he had no care for the philosophical nonsense his brother spent his nights pondering upon. He was the straight forward type.

The problem Bella had with interacting with the dwarf was that he was just so different from anyone she had known. She supposed he too, as a battle hardened dwarven warrior, found her incredibly strange in ways and looks. Soft hobbit, can't fight, has no beard, wears no shoes. He must find her just as odd as she found him and the rest of the dwarves. So, while Dwalin showed no dislike for her, his air was not a particularly welcoming one.

Bella did not illude herself into thinking all of the dwarves trusted her any more than they had done at the beginning of their quest. They knew her ways better, were more accustomed to her presence, but at least to the older members of the company she was still an outsider. She was a hobbit, they were dwarves, and dwarves did not place much confidence in people not of their own, even if the youngsters and the company miner had taken to Bella very quickly. She did not have their endurance, could not carry as much weight, could not effectively wield a sword. She was not as well fitted to life on the road - in fact, she was not fitted to it at all. She had been more fitted to life at home, was the nagging thought that plagued her. She did not regret coming along, but that did not mean to say it was easy for her. Because she did miss home: her house, her kitchen, her bed, her books and her garden. And she missed the small things most.


	19. The Misty Mountains Cold

Bella could not find much of home on their journey: the landscape was nothing like the Shire, the food they ate was not so good nor so plentiful and what few possessions she had brought along were slowly lost or ruined along the way. Everything was muddy and her clothes grew worn. The dwarves roughed it out as if they'd spent every day of their lives doing the same and Bella did her best not to complain about the rip in her waistcoat and the dirt on her blanket. Somehow she didn't think they'd understand.

Ori was the dwarf she saw the most familiarity in. With his knitting and his book and no sword or axe to put a hobbit off, he was less foreign seeming to Bella.

Ori could be extremely shy, but could also be louder than either Fili or Kili when brought out of his shell. The dwarf was extremely well-read for his age and had studied texts as much as, if not more than Bella had her books at home in his work to become a scribe. He knew all about dwarvish history and records, and had taken it upon himself to document the quest, spending much of his time writing when they weren't on the move.

The young dwarf had recruited Bella's help with his work after she had shown an interest and had revealed her talent for drawing. He would give her scraps of parchment to sketch on, and she would make suggestions as of what to write and how to write it. She spent many an evening laughing with the dwarf, trying to find the words to make Gloin's snoring be read as menacing and warrior-ish or else Kili's way of climbing trees vaguely graceful. Ori made the final decision on what was put down though, and never let Bella see the words he had written. She was not allowed to read it until it was finished, he said, but he would put her name on the book beside his, because it was hers too for all the help she gave.

He had also tried to get her knitting with Dori's knitting needles once, but in all her years she'd never gotten the hang of it and ended up having to return the needles to the dwarf in a knot of wool. After that they didn't knit again.

Nori was the one of Ori's two brothers that Bella had the most contact with. He was a quiet one, though not in the same shy way as Ori. He kept his distance from the other members of the company - walking and sleeping a little further apart and involving himself in conversation less often. He didn't trust them, Bella realised, either because he realised that many of them did not trust him, because it was not in his nature, or maybe because from past bad experience he had learnt it to be unwise.

He seemed nice enough when he did speak, and was often nearby to her and Bofur, listening even if he didn't participate in their talk. In fact, he spent more time around the two of them than around his brothers, though he always kept a close eye on Dori and Ori.

It occurred to Bella that he had done something wrong, unlawful or dishonourable as it were - it would explain his interactions with the company better than a brotherly feud would: many of the dwarves eyed him suspiciously. He kept away from Dori so as not to push his luck and face his brother's anger and stayed away from his younger brother as Dori was always either close by or watching. Her and Bofur on the other hand, he had no reason to avoid. Bofur, friendly as ever, welcomed Nori whenever he joined them and was determined to have him as a friend. Even if the miner knew whatever it was the dwarf had done, he appeared not to judge. Anyone would trust Bofur, even someone as careful as Nori. Bella of course did not know what Nori had done to warrant the short-distance exile, even if she might have guessed that he was not at all the most respected dwarf in the company. Whatever he had done didn't affect her and until he wronged her she had no reason to ward him off. Bella was unsure as to his reasons for being on the quest. The gold? Seemed likely, but the way he watched his brothers tempted her to think he was there for them.

Dori was calm and collected. He was the eldest of the brothers by as long as Bella had been alive and before the quest he had been a tailor. He fussed over Ori, disapproved of Nori, and loved and worried for them both. He made sure one brother ate his vegetables and that the other kept his distance (and presumably his bad influence and reputation away). Dori's affection for Ori showed in his mother like tendencies over him, his care for Nori was more hidden. He didn't want Nori anywhere near Ori, and he didn't seem at all willing to forget his quarrel with his oldest brother and gave him no favours. It took a while for Bella to notice that that every night before laying down the dwarf's gaze would fall on Nori, and he would watch him discreetly until the younger dwarf's breathing deepened and he fell into the grips of sleep. Dori was terrified of losing Nori, no matter if he would sometimes act otherwise.

Dori was very particular about everything, so much showed in his hair style. He had routines that he would keep to best he could. He liked order. Everything should be in its proper place, even if it meant fifteen minutes unpacking and repacking. If he had been a hobbit he would have been the most respectable of the lot.

Another dwarf that liked order was Bifur. He too had one way of doing things and did not like it when that had to change.

Bifur was better on some days than others. He could wake up surprisingly well minded some mornings. At those times he would speak more clearly, pronounce his words in such a way that you almost forgot you did not understand the language he spoke them in, it felt as if you should be able to understand. He managed to get his point across more quickly, and would even in some instances watch the other members of the company as if they were the ones with axes suck in their heads and talking gibberish. That roll of the eyes when one of them did something stupid - Bella could translate that perfectly. By Aule, am I the only one with any sense around here? At other times Bifur would be not so clearly spoken, nor so really...there. 'One of his moods', Bofur called those instances. The dwarf would seem to not quite know where he was or what he was meant to be doing and would fall quiet and trail behind one of his cousins. It was as if his mind was simply elsewhere, had something more pressing to be contending with. He would stare into the camp fire for so long Bella's eyes hurt, or not realise that his cousins and everyone else had stopped walking and that he had passed them until one of them came running after him.

Bifur would always bow his head in thanks when she brought him food, and appeared to lay more respectful gestures on her than he did their leader. He would try to take her pack from her when he saw her slow her pace or thought she was struggling. She thanked his sentiment, but told him no every time. She would not allow herself to be seen as any weaker than she already was.

Bella was not the only one Bifur would attempt to help: he would do similar things for his cousins. He would remove things of Bombur's from his pack and put them in his own when the larger dwarf was not paying attention, and would try to force extra food on Bofur, all the while poking his ribs and muttering in ancient dwarvish. Then there was always the blanket wars. Bifur appeared to believe that not only did his slighter cousin not eat enough, but he did not keep warm enough either, hence the routine that would start on any particularly cold night. Bifur would wait until Bofur finally dropped off to sleep and then get up and cover him with his blanket, Bofur would wake up and throw the extra cover off and the whole routine would start again. Amusing for the one on night watch.

Bofur was Bofur. He smiled a lot. He knew a lot of good stories and was very protective over his hat. Bofur was up for most anything, always quick to volunteer if someone needed help. He was eager for everyone to be happy and content, he didn't like it when people were not. He took it as his job to cheer people up and was extremely good at it. He wasn't always laughing and didn't always smile, but he normally was when someone might be looking. No one could be happy all the time. Worry for his cousin could put him off his food and Bella had long since noticed that while he barely slept, when he did drop off it was into a restless slumber. She imagined his dreams were of a less than pleasant nature.

Bombur could have been born a hobbit for all his love of food. He was a nice fellow, didn't speak much. He was useful for hiding behind if hiding was something you wanted to do. Bombur didn't seem to mind being used as a shield and unless you had given him cause enough to lose his favour he would be more than happy to let you use his girth as a way of avoiding whoever it was you had angered. If Kili had done something to annoy him and was not in sight it was the first place Fili would look. Bella herself had spent almost a half days travel walking so that Bombur concealed her from the view of a grumpy Dwalin after she had spilled hot soup all over him. Bombur always got a small smile on his face when he realised he had someone taking refuge in his shadow, so Bella supposed he got a fair share of amusement from their antics.

He had a wife back in the blue mountains, a reasonably comfortable living and three young children all below twenty and all nearly as round. Like little ginger boulders, Bofur had said.

Then there was Oin and Gloin.

Oin annoyingly misheard most anything you said if you did not shout, and Bella sometimes wondered if he heard more than he let on and in fact just exaggerated his hearing problem as a private joke against them: he always caught the words 'dinner's ready' perfectly fine. Oin was the company medic and a war veteran. He kept close to his brother and was good friends with Balin, who he had fought beside in battle. Oin was polite and not at all ill-willed, though like his brother he did not go out of his way to mix with those out of his family. Despite weeks of travel Bella had yet to engage in any sort of meaningful conversation with him, though she could tell you he was a very superstitious dwarf with no talent at all for predicting the weather, though every morning he would try.

Gloin was just what Bella would have picture a year ago if anyone had said 'dwarf'. She had tried to befriend him, the most notable of her efforts being when one evening the two of them had been sent to collect water. She had attempted to start a conversation, chattering on about the Shire, food, the Shire, the strangely shaped rock over there, Bag-End, the Shire...He did not even try to look the slightest bit interested and did not talk back, but he did not stop her and she supposed that was something. She had almost given up by the time they neared camp and the dwarf had still not done anymore than grunt in acknowledgement of the things she said. Then, to her fortune (or misfortune, depending how you looked at it), she had brought up children.

As it turned out Gloin had a young son, Gimli, who lived back in the Blue Mountains, and he took great pleasure in telling people all about him whenever the chance presented itself. Gloin could talk about his son until the cows came home and considering the fact there was a vicious dragon in his, that could be a very long time indeed. Bella was saved by Bofur at dinner...the next day.

-

The mountains grew bigger, the ground became rockier, the weather took a turn for the worse.

The day they reached the misty mountains grey clouds covered the sky, creating a daunting sight if ever there was one.

That had been over a week ago and now the heavens poured forth all that had been held back. Best bath in a while. It made travel hard, the narrow paths made that bit more difficult to navigate, the steep slopes more slippery. You had to be loud to be heard through the rain.

Bella tried to ignore the fact that she was hungry, cold, and utterly drenched.

"Say, Mr Bofur, did I ever tell you about the time I caught one of my relatives, Lobelia Bracegirdle, attempting to smuggle away my best silverware?" She shouted to the dwarf behind her, though did not turn around.

"Twice," He all but yelled back. "But I should like to hear it again all the same. The bit with the spoons gets me every time..."

They continued to climb all day. When it started to get darker Thorin's voice sounded from somewhere ahead, calling that they would stop next cover they found. The weather worsened. Thunder, lightning, icy rain. Night fell and they had still not found any place in the rock which held enough protection from the elements to camp. The trail was deadly in the dark.

Between the wind and the rain and the poor visibility progress was made slow and the company was became more and more desperate for shelter. Bella hated the coldness she felt in her bones, the shaking of her limbs as the effort it took to climb became increasingly much. The towering rock face she kept close to made her feel so very, very small. So weak and helpless.

'The world is big, it's dangerous.' She had been telling herself for the best part of an hour. 'You knew that when you came out here. '

Besides, there's no way out of the situation now. Just keep on going. You want adventure? Then you have to put up with this. There's no way you can get any wetter. Everything in your pack is already ruined. The weather can't possibly get any worse-

"GET BACK!"


	20. Stone Giants

Bella flattened herself against the cliff face between Bofur and Fili. Thunder masked the sound of rock hitting rock, but she felt the tremors that shook the mountain at the impact, the crash sending great chunks of rock tumbling down before them into the darkness below.

Bella looked up. Her eyes widened. By-

"Aule...!" Bofur gasped at the sight, an expression of complete wonder gracing his face.

"The mountains are moving!" Bella heard Kili's exclamation over the wind and rain. She could not find any words to deny him as she open and closed her mouth, her mind completely blank because he was right. The mountains were moving.

Above them dark shadows shifted in the darkness. They were large: not Dwalin large, not Gandalf large, not even troll large. They towered so high Bella would have easily believed their heads touched the sky.

All down the line the dwarves stood frozen in their places. The rumbling thunder now sounded to their ears more like it came from the rocks than the heavens. Lightening stuck, illuminating the valley and revealing the dark forms for what they truly were.

Bella could not help but let out a squeak at the flickering image they were presented with, the small noise lost in the harsh wind. If she had felt small before...

"Stone giants!"

One of the giants hurled a massive lump of stone in the direction of another, the house sized boulder hitting its shoulder and sending it crashing into the mountainside across from them. The giants had been roused from the rock by forces unknown to the company, but there was no doubt that they had awoken to fight.

Bella watched; even as the two giants battled, yet another pulled itself from the rock, ripping itself away as if it was merely dried mud it had been encased in.

Fili turned beside her, and Bella knew the panicked fear she glimpsed in his eyes was mirrored in her own. His voice came out strangled. "I thought they were myths!"

A rock hit too close for comfort.

"Apparently not." Bofur finally wrenched his eyes away from the towering forms. "We need to get out of here!"

They were in danger on the exposed cliff, they could easily be killed where they stood. They all knew that, all of them realised that they should move while the giants were still a fair distance away and it was only stray rocks that hit the cliff face, but it took Thorin's voice to get them to act. "Move!"

They went as fast as they could with the trail as wet and covered in loose stone as it was. They could not go back: an unfortunate boulder impact had taken that option away, but staying put would have them trapped if the fight came closer. The only way was forward, past the giants.

The company stuck close to the cliff face, keeping hands on it at all times. A tumble here meant death.

There was a slight rumble from the depths of the mountain. Fili fell to his knees as the rock beneath them shook, and Bella too met the ground behind the young dwarf, almost tripping up an already stumbling Bofur. Swearing told her that Dwalin, Oin and Gloin had also found themselves knocked off their feet at the unexpected tremors, thankfully none of them disappearing off the ledge.

"What the-"

Bella staggered quickly to her feet. The rest of the company had drawn to a stop.

There was another lurch. Bella fell on her behind. For a split second confusion rained in her thoughts, because the others were sinking.

And then it hit her.

The expressions of horror on the faces of those ahead as they looked back burned in her mind. Deftly she heard their shouts for their family members as they were lifted upwards, away. Kili was screaming for his brother, Balin started towards them despite them already being far out of reach, Bifur swore, even Thorin called for his nephew.

Somewhere in the back of Bella's head she registered the sound of her own name, but soon the voices were too distant to be made out and any comfort the knowledge that people cared what happened to them brought was drowned by their fear.

Bella didn't think much, all that mattered was staying on as the giant they were trapped on made its way to smash its fist into its closest neighbour. Dwalin, Oin and Gloin clung on to the ledge and each other, cursing their luck and the giants too. Fili and Bofur remain at her sides. Bella found their hands, wet and cold like her own, and gripped them with force enough to break the bone.

Somehow they all managed to find their way to their feet, but that didn't help them much. They were swung this way and that as the giant walked, almost fell when a blow would cause the giant to reel back, it was a miracle none of them got thrown off.

A boulder to the side spun their giant around, a hit to the back sent it crashing down towards the mountain side. Bella was not the only one to cry out in terror as the cliff face rushed up to greet them, because surely, surely they would be crushed into nothing.

It was Dwalin, being the clearest of mind at the time, that realised that one end of the ledge would take the impact first by the way it jutted out somewhat, and that the other part might not quite hit the cliff at all.

"This way!"

Bella blindly followed his shout. She pushed the two dwarves she had hold of in his direction with all the strength she had, and they pulled her with them.

The noise the giant made as it hit the mountain was deafening.

They landed hard, tumbling off the giant's knee and onto the mountain side. Bella shut her eyes tight and attempted to shield her face. She felt the bruising pain of the impact with the rock, the sharp stones that dug into her front, the shaking of the ground on which she had been thrown on, and then-

Nothing.

The mountain beneath them was still. The only pain left to feel the dull ache of her bones and the discomfort of lying on uneven rock.

Bella let out a shaky breath before taking in deep gulps of air. She had not taken the time to breathe much while being thrown around on the giant. Every single bit of strength she possessed seemed to leave her then; she buried her head under her arms and squeezed her eyes closed, trying and failing to calm her ragged breathing. Moving would be too much effort. She would just stay where she was a while longer.

Bella was cold, she was drenched, her hair stuck to her face and every second that passed more rain drummed down on her back. She no longer cared. The adrenaline in her blood had started to wear off, leaving behind only emptiness and a pounding heart. Lifting her head to check on the others was one of hardest things she felt she had ever done.

Bofur looked completely dazed, muttering to himself repeatedly 'it could have been worse, it could have been worse,' as if trying to convince himself of that. Gloin it appeared had energy left for one last curse as he rolled onto his back. Dwalin, Fili and Oin just groaned. Looking around Bella realised just how close it had been for them: they were trapped in a gap between two rock faces, the mountain and the leg of the giant mere yards apart. The part of the ledge on which she, Bofur and Fili had stood upon was gone, smashed into the mountain side. They could have been gone too-

Suddenly the stone giant shifted again with a grinding of rock: it slid down the mountain, pulling a rainfall of boulders cascading after it. They were missed only by good fortune and the shape of the rock face, and then it was over again.

Bella did not sense the rock she lay on weaken, nor at first the ground start to crumble. It was Bofur who pushed himself onto his hands and frowned at the ground, feeling something about the stone that a dwarf could but a hobbit could not. Then the rock tipped, and she could not miss that. She had just the time to meet the other's eyes in panic, knowing that she had not the time to move. It all happened quickly: one second she had a solid surface beneath her, the next she did not.

"Bilbo!" Fili and Bofur had made to lunge for her, and would had gone with her if Dwalin had not grabbed onto their legs with a roar to stop them. As it was the five dwarves had only been able let out sounds of alarm as she disappeared from their sight.

Somehow her hands found a hold in the rock, bringing her descent to an abrupt and painful jolting stop.

And then she was hanging. She was too shocked to scream.

Bofur, Fili, Dwalin, Oin and Gloin were somewhere above, on their knees at the edge of the ridge. Their calls sounded so far away.

Her arms shook with the stress and her fingers were frozen with cold, she did not know how much longer she could hold on. The voice in the back of her head told her this was it: this was where she died. She would never see Bag-End again, she would never go home. It was at that moment that Bella wished she had never left. By Yavanna, she had thrown her life away by giving in to the ridiculous notion of going on an adventure, on a blasted treasure hunt! Fool of a Took, why couldn't she have been born a Proudfoot?

Gandalf had once told her that when people find themselves close to death their whole life would flash before their eyes. It was most probably, he said, the mind's way of making a last ditch attempt to find some piece of information that would help them out of the situation. Bella cursed that the only thing that came into her head was an image of the Sackville-Bagginses sitting at her table, using her cutlery.

"Come on, burglar!" Bella finally tuned in to Oin's desperate words.

The five dwarves were scrambling to try and reach her.

"Get back lad!" Gloin pulled Fili away from the edge when he almost slipped. "It's no use. You can't reach him, your arms are too short!"

"Grab on." Dwalin was practically half over the side.

Bella stared blankly up at him. And how was she supposed to do that? His fingers were mere inches away, but to get to them she would have to take a hand off the cliff, and she knew if she did that she would fall. Hers arms already shook: she could not hold her weight with one hand, even for a matter of seconds.

"Bilbo!?" Bofur's voice was laced with distress.

"C-can't." She choked and had to turn her face away and squeeze her eyes tightly shut as a gust of wind blew rain into her face.

Dwalin's swearing was lost under the shouts as the rest of the company found them. "Oh, thank goodness you're all-"

"Help us! We can't reach him, he's too far down!"

"Wha- My goodness!"

"Just keep holding on, Mr Baggins!"

"We'll find a way-"

"-No! Wait! You'll fall!"

"Be careful lad!"

"Uncle!"

Bella felt her fingers slipping. Her muscles burned with the effort of keeping herself up-

But then her weight was lifted, the strain on arms lessened. Hands gripped at her sleeves, and she was pulled up, up and back onto the rocky ledge.

With a cry of relief Ori immediately wound his fingers into her waistcoat, as if scared she would fall again. She was brought close by Bofur as soon as he could reach her, and Bella herself got a death grip on his coat.

It took a while for Bella to take notice of what was going on around her, for her mind to catch up with events. She looked over to where Thorin was being heaved up by Dwalin as she was helped to stand, relaxing slightly when the dwarf was back on solid ground.

"Way to give us heart attack laddie!" Gloin patted her on the back awkwardly.

"Well that was a right scare, don't get me wrong." Fili sighed in relief, Kili nodding in agreement from where he had all but buried his head into his brother's shoulder.

"Aye, we thought we'd lost you!" Dwalin exclaimed as Thorin got to his feet.

"He's been lost ever since he left home."

Bella's breath caught in her throat. Ori's grip on her tightened and she felt Bofur tense.

"He has no place among us. He never should have come, it would have been better for us all."

She stared. None of the dwarves spoke, and there was an uncomfortable shuffling of feet. No one would meet either her or their leader's eyes.

Before this day the dwarf had possessed no qualms about showing his dislike for her. The way he looked down at her, the way he talked to her as if she were beneath him. He had always made his feelings towards her very clear: she was a burden and a nuisance to their quest. She had of yet done nothing to give herself an ounce of worth in his eyes.

She had gotten them captured by trolls and almost eaten, she had barely managed to hold her own in the fight with the orcs and wargs, she often spoke against him, and practically every single thing she did she didn't do up to his standards. She annoyed him. But he had never spoken to her like that.

Whenever he had talked to her before, no matter whether it was to be a passing comment of questionable civility, a compliant at her actions, or just plain rudeness, Bella had always managed to find an equally matched comeback, every glare she had been able to return. It had seemed a game almost, like childish bickering. Sure, she had started off serious, but as time went on her quarrel with the leader had been more akin to a joke to her, she gained an inner respect for the dwarf, and for the most part they kept away from one another anyway. None of his words had ever held much weight to her, because his tone had always been one of irritation.

This was different now. Never had the dwarf's eyes held such harshness. There had always been a line: some things just weren't said.

Thorin turned away. "We move on. We must find shelter."

The company kept their heads down and filed after him along the trail. Fili and Kili sent her upset looks before moving, Ori lingered a moment before allowing himself to be hurried on by Dori.

Bella only stood in shock, shaking now, but not really knowing whether it was from her near death experience finally hitting her, or from Thorin's cold words.

She startled when a hand fell on her shoulder, and turned her head numbly to find Balin standing by her side. Balin... Balin! Another flicker of fear rose inside her, but she could not find the energy to make any outward show of had no doubt that what had just transpired counted as 'endangering the company', someone could have easily fallen to their death trying to aid her. ...Would he really tell Thorin of her now? Was there any need for him to do so, really? The leader had already basically told her to leave.

The old dwarf's expression was sympathetic though, and when he spoke it was with a sigh. "It could have been any one of us."

Bella's shoulders dropped. She nodded and gave in to Bofur's urging her forward.

...But it hadn't been anybody else.


	21. Chapter 21

It was thankfully not long before the company happened upon an opening in the rock. A quick look told them it was size enough that they could all easily fit in, but the dwarves were wary. Caves in the mountain are seldom uninhabited.

Still, an inspection showed no signs of life: the cave was empty.

"No fire." Thorin stopped Oin and Gloin. "We do not know what it might attract. Bofur, first watch."

The dwarf nodded as he dropped his pack to the floor. There was a sullen air about the company, and they moved about in silence. There was plenty to be miserable about: the lack of hot food, wet blankets and bedrolls, no fire to warm them.

On entering the cave Bella had done all possible not to meet anyone's gaze, and had spoken only one word answers when required to do so. Too caught up in her mind she had not even bothered to unpack her roll-mat. All she had found the energy to do was find a rock to sit on a good distance away from the others where she was out of the way and drew little notice from anyone apart from those who were looking. There she had buried her face in her hands and there she had stayed.

Bifur came and sat by her for a while, but thankfully did not attempt to get her to move from her secluded spot, and wandered off after a few minutes of silence. She appreciated his brief presence all the same.

Bella wasn't quite sure how to act in light of events. At first she had been hurt, and then she had been angry, then a mixture between two. She wanted to be angry, and had serveral times attempted to send glares Thorin's way, but every time she failed miserably. For one the dwarf was never looking her way, secondly whenever she set her gaze on him all the rage she had managed to summon was useless: a lump would rise in her throat and she would feel her eyes well up and well that just made her even more frustrated.

She did not want to cry, she refused to do so: they would only think less of her. It seemed stupid to give tears to something like that, in her mind she told herself it was ridiculous and silly, yet the rest of her didn't seem to agree.

 

Within half an hour the dwarves were asleep, all expect Bofur of course.

Bella sighed and rubbed circles on her temples. She could feel a headache coming. Everything was made worse by the cold, if the sun had been shining and the air warm she was sure she would not be reacting as she was, would be dealing with things better.

Bella let her hands fall from her face and found Bofur staring at her from his place against the wall on the other side of the cave. He gestured her over and she gave one last self-pitying sigh before standing and picking her way over.

"Don't think too greatly over it, Bilbo." He tried to comfort as she slumped down opposite him.

Bella made a noncommittal noise and remained quiet for quite some time before a humourless chuckle escaped her throat.

"Thorin's right."

He didn't lie, he had not reason to. Besides, even she could see reason in his words-

"No!"

Bella jumped slightly at the volume of the dwarf's exclamation. Bofur too seemed at bit surprised at himself: they both quickly cast their eyes over the snoring dwarves, holding their breath. After a minute no one stirred, and they turned back to each other.

The dwarf kept his voice to an urgent whisper this time.

"No, Bilbo." He leaned forward to rest his arms on his knees. "No-"

Bella shook her head.

"It would have most probably been better for everyone if I had not come."

"That's not true!" Bofur argued with a gasp. "If you hadn't joined us we would have never escaped the trolls-" You may have never been captured by them in the first place- "And I saw you shoot down that warg that came for you and master Kili!" Sheer dumb luck- "Without you who would make us wash our hands, and scold master Fili for biting his nails and our Ori for staying up late scribbling in that book of his?" And that makes me sound like my father... "Who would I talk to? Ya know Bombur and Bifur -neither of 'em much good for conversation-" I'm sure you would have gotten by- "And we're going to need our burglar, if we weren't Gandalf would never have gone searching for one."

Bella barely held a wince at that. ...She wasn't a burglar.

They sat in silence for a while until Bofur spoke again.

"And for the rest of what he said -yer not lost ya know, you know exactly where you are: in some dark, damp, miserable cave in the middle of bloody nowhere."

It was perhaps not the best of things Bofur could have said in the circumstances, and they both knew that it was not what Thorin had meant by her being lost, but they shared the smile it was intended to bring over it none the less.

The moment quickly passed and Bella sighed.

She got up and wandered a few steps towards the entrance of the cave, close enough to the pouring rain that she could feel light splatters on her face.

Outside it was still dark, it was cold and uncaring and nothing like home. Mere days ago nothing like home had seemed a good thing. There had been cheer and it was still exciting and there had been so much to look forward to seeing.

Then the weather had set in, the tiring long days, the near death experiences. -Those were things she had not wanted.

She no longer felt the pull of what may lay ahead, for the present was much too miserable for that.

"I should never have left the Shire Bofur."

Bella gazed out into the darkness, and it occurred to her that she didn't even know which direction home was at that moment. She didn't like it. She didn't like it at all.

"Yer home sick, I understand-"

The dwarf's words were meant to be comforting, but Bella felt something snap inside of her at them. A wave of hysteria rose, her fists clenched.

"No! No, you don't! You're all used to this! Travelling on the road all the time, never belonging anywhere! Like I said, Thorin was correct. He said I have no place among you, and its because I have a home, I have somewhere I am meant to be, and it's not here!"

By the time Bella realised exactly what she was saying it was too late to stop, the words just poured from her lips.

She spun around and sucked in a breath. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't-"

"It's okay."

Bofur's face showed no contentment towards her, but the sadness in his eyes hurt to behold. He hesitated for a moment, taking in the guilty expression on her face, before getting up to throw an arm around her shoulders and draw her into a hug.

"Yer right though," He mumbled. "We don't belong anywhere. Some of us haven't for a hundred years, and some of us never have. Its kind o' become part of us. I suppose sometimes we can forget that it is not the same for others."

When he finally released her it was to tug her back to his place in the caven wall and pull her down to sit beside him.

"You miss the Shire a lot, don't yer?"

Bofur played with the loose threads of his gloves distractedly as he thought, and Bella did not see fit to give a reply to a question he already knew the answer to.

Bella watched as the miner's eyes travelled over to where his brother and cousin slumbered, over Fili and Kili who lay close together for warmth, Dwalin who's weapons stayed mere inches from his finger tips even while he slept. Gloin who did not seem to notice the uncomfortable rocks he was sprawled upon, over Ori who had acquired an extra blanket since falling asleep, and finally lingering on a shivering Nori, taking in with a grimace the way the dwarf had placed himself so that his back was to the wall and the way his arms had been habitually wound around himself so that they somewhat shielded his neck and face. Yes, they were used to this sort of thing.

"Yer wouldn't leave us, would yer?"

Bella startled slightly at the sudden question. She did not know what to say. She had not the heart to lie straight out to the kind dwarf. Truth was she would have left if she could, she had been considering it since she entered the cave. But she was too much of a coward for that she knew. One look at the darkness outside, the sound of the harsh wind, the thought of the danger that lay on the treacherous trail, and she knew that she could not. She wanted to leave but was too scared to do so and make the journey back to Rivendell alone.

She couldn't face the dwarf. "I-"

In the end she did not know what she would have said, because at that moment her dropped gaze caught a glimmer of blue shinning at her side.

Bella leapt to her feet and pulled the glowing sword slightly from its scabbard. "Oh!"

And then Bofur was on his feet too, his mattock clutched tightly in his grip. Eyes wide, their gazes met. "Goblins!"

There was a strange rushing noise.

"We're under attack!"

Their shouts quickly woke the others, and Thorin was on his feet within seconds. "Everybody-"

When the floor opened up beneath them the less fast to wake of the company were given an unpleasant shock, not that those fully awake and standing were anymore happy with it.

 

Bella felt herself falling, hitting a hard surface, pain, sliding at high speed down a steep slope with the rest of the group, falling again, more pain...

With a groan she pushed herself up from where she had landed: thankfully at the top of the pile of dwarves. She had barely time to look around her when screeching calls fast approached them and Bella set eyes on some of the ugliest creatures she had ever seen.

They swarmed over the bruised and disorientated company with reaching hands, pulling the dwarves from their tangle.

Bella was for a moment frozen with terror, but as soon as she felt filthy fingers and saw their faces in more detail than anyone would ever wish to she squirmed out of the way and ended up rolling. She came face to face with Thorin, who was stuck underneath Bombur and gasping to get air into his lungs. Bella caught his eyes, for a second she imagined she saw a flicker of fear and...something else, something unrecognisable, but then it was gone and she doubted it had ever been there at all. No matter, she was more than scared enough for the both of them. For a moment they shared a look - not a glare, there was no anger, no dislike, no irritation, nothing, all that was forgotten: it was just a look. Hmm. Odd. Calming... Damn it. Distracting too. Goblins everywhere, time to start running and screaming, remember-?

And then Bombur was gone, surrounded by goblins, Ori and Dori were shouting as they were carried off, Fili was dragged away kicking, Kili stopped trying to get away so much because if they were going to take his brother then they were going to take him too. Bofur got an elbow to a goblin's face and the creature fell screaming from the narrow walkway, but then the struggling dwarf was pounced upon by five more and was completely out numbered. Dwalin knocked out a good number of Goblin teeth, and fought all the way. Bella let out a cry when one of the creatures got a hold on her wrists, its snarling face way too close to her own, but suddenly it was gone, sent falling over the side into the darkness by a well placed kick from Thorin who had been dragged to his feet. Then the leader was pulled back by their grip, and they had Oin and Gloin and Balin also.

Everything happened so quickly, and in her panic it didn't fully register to Bella that most of the goblins pretty much ignored her presence compared to that of the dwarves. The dwarves were their priority: she was of little interest to them.

Bifur put up a fight to her left, however there was little he could do. Nori was good at slipping away from the goblins, but he too was eventually restrained.

Bella herself was swept along in the confusion, and found herself under Nori's arm, held firmly by her waistcoat. She pressed herself close, hardly daring to breath as she stumbled along despite the fact that the goblins on either side of the dwarf were able to see her as clear as day.

"I don't know if we'll live to get out of this."

Nori did not turn his head from the direction they were going in, and his eyes stayed blankly on his brother's backs, but the murmur carried.

"They pay you no notice. Be careful, Mr Baggins. I wish you luck."

Bella had no time to question; the dwarf gave her no warning. She was shoved to the ground suddenly and with force.

Bella let out a noise more of surprise than of pain, and moved her hands to cover her head as goblin feet fell around her, some even over her.

And then she was behind them, they were heading away...and they weren't looking back.

Soon they rounded a corner and were out of sight, cries fading with distance.


	22. Chapter 22

Bella quickly pushed herself to her feet, stumbling slightly as she stood. Her knees shook as she looked around frantically, checking for any imminent dangers.

There were no goblins to be seen though: she was alone.

Completely alone.

Bella stood still for all of ten seconds before she panicked. Cold fear poured over her as she tried to force air into her lungs, and she could only let out a dry sob when her eyes fell on Bofur's hat, which had been knocked off in the scuffle and now lay on the trail floor a few meters away.

If any of the creatures had come back then she surely would have been dead, she found it a task to even remain standing.

The goblins had taken the dwarves' weapons and packs with them, but had not taken care while doing so: belongings were scattered about the path, marking the way they had gone.

Everything had happened too quickly, all of it was too much.

What tears Bella had been able to hold back earlier she could not now. She was scared for her life, and for the lives of the company. What would the goblins do with them? Kill them, was the obvious answer from what she knew of goblins, but what manner of suffering would the dwarves have to endure at their hands before that?

Bella hated the way her thoughts continued on despite her desperate wishes for her mind to stop. The idea of what may happen to Bofur, the best friend she had ever had, to sweet little Ori, to Fili and Kili who were just way too young, was painful. Balin and Nori and Oin and Gloin, Dwalin and Bifur and Bombur and Dori and- and- Bella sobbed again. -And Thorin.

Oh, none of them deserved such a cruel fate! Why had this happened? Where was Gandalf when they needed him most? Why wasn't he here? What was she to do?

Could she really make a run for it? Try to leave? What might she run into in the dark passageways that led off from here? Could she survive with nothing but what she had now? If she did manage to avoid the goblins would it just be to die of cold and starvation?

More important was the question of how she would live with herself if she did get out, leaving the company to their deaths, carrying the guilt that thirteen lives had been lost and she had done nothing to prevent it. Would Gandalf find her, half dead in the mountains, left to tell him that Thorin Oakenshield and his company were gone? Could she ever sleep again, not knowing what had befallen them, imagining all the terrors that the dwarves may have faced, picturing their deaths?

But what could a hobbit do against such a number of goblins? She would be slaughtered.

Bella wanted to scream, but that would surely bring the goblins running. …Let them. Let them end this torture, or else drag you off to the others and kill you there, at least then you'd see them all again and your conscience would be clear.

She wandered slightly down the trail, bending down to pick up a pack that had been left, its contents half spilt over the edge of the rock. Kili's, it was, thrown down so carelessly by the rotten creatures who had taken him.

Bella was suddenly overcome with a wave of protectiveness: it cleared her mind and straightened her thoughts.

Go after them. Would it not be better to die trying to save them than not even attempting to do so, always wondering if this could have ended differently?

Nori had not thought they would escape, he had given her a chance to get away. She felt touched by his action, she really did, but she knew as well as he most definitely had that while she was with more of a chance than them, the likelihood of her managing to leave the mountain alive were low.

Death was before her no matter which decision she made.

Bella let out a laugh as she found her bow among the things left. Mad Baggins. Mad mad Baggins. 

She was going to die.

And somehow that idea wasn't half so frightening to her as it had been when she was dangling from a ledge.

She tightened her sword at her waist, slung her quiver of arrows over her shoulder with Kili's pack, which she filled with things of importance that she found. Ori's book, a rather nice dagger belonging to Balin, Dori's knitting needles (or knitting needle, for she discovered only one), Thorin's map which he had bundled in his pack to stop it getting wet- thank goodness she picked up that...

She set off with purpose along the trail, bow at the ready and Bofur's hat jammed firmly on her head for safe keeping.

Bella kept low, trying her hardest to step silently. It was eerie down in the goblin caves.

The place smelled none too good either.

Bella jumped as she heard the sound of goblins coming down the path she was heading along.

They rounded the corner, four of them, not expecting a hobbit to be creeping about. The creatures soon screeched in anger however when an arrow lodged itself in the first's chest, sending it to the floor, and were quick to run in attack when they set eyes on her.

Bella stood her ground. She let fly another arrow with speed that surprised even herself. A third as the goblins drew nearer and nearer. Both shots hit home.

But now the last was close, too close. She was unable to remain where she was any longer. Bella turned and ran.

She sprinted down the path as fast as her legs would take her, stumbling on rocks and desperately hoping she would not fall as she listened to the snarls of the goblin at her heels.

No no no! This is the wrong way! They took them in the other direction! 

Bella cursed. She couldn't turn and send an arrow at the goblin, it was too near. Her feet carried her further from where she had wanted to go.

Then a heavy weight yanked on the pack she had on her back, pulling her harshly back. The goblin had made a dive for her. Bella fell with a silent cry, brought down by the force.

The goblin made a noise of triumph as she struggled to get away, only to let out a cry of rage when she wriggled her arms free of the straps and sprang to her feet, fleeing from its grabbing hands.

Bella chanced a look back as she began to run again. The goblin leapt up, throwing the pack over the side of the pathway. Bella really did let out a cry this time: Ori's book! The map!

Soon her legs began to tire and the creature caught up once more, again it caught her. Bella tried to kick it off, but it was persistent and refused to let go.

Several times she almost managed to escape, getting a meter or two before it pounced upon her and stopped her.

At some point in the struggle she let go of her bow and it was snapped when stood upon by dirty goblin feet.

She managed to pull out her sword, but had to duck to the ground as the goblin made yet another leap. To her shock a knife buried itself in the creature's stomach: it collapsed off the ledge with a dreadful scream.

Bella snapped her head up to find another goblin baring down upon her, having been attracted by the noise it was not at all pleased that her movement had caused the blow meant for her to be taken by another.

It snarled.

Bella only just brought her sword up in time to protect herself as the goblin swung its black-blood covered knife down at her.

She scrambled back as the creature made a vicious assault, intent on making her bleed.

For what seemed like hours she dodged and dived, doing what she could to avoid the goblin's blade, blocking every swing sloppily. But blocking none the less, and that was what mattered.

Her sword work was messy and clumsy, she barely managed to hold her own, it was a miracle she wasn't killed straight away. She had no chance of attempting to deliver some blows of her own of course: defence was a challenge enough.

She was driven backwards down the trail, still away from where she had wanted to go. Fili and Kili and Ori and Bofur and Nori- Bella did not have much time to think of them however, the goblin's onslaught continued relentlessly.

Then her sword was thrown from her grip, flung far off before falling into the darkness.

Bella gasped as yet again the sharp knife passed much too closely to her face. She took a step back-

And into thin air.

Bella screamed as she toppled backwards. She heard the goblin's cry of victory, felt the rushing of the air around her as she plummeted like a rock.

Darkness grew as she fell, for what seemed like forever she went down, down, down-

She could not think, could not see, only feel terror, for what falls eventually must come to a stop. She felt the blackness that surrounded her begin to leach into her mind and she prayed that she would pass out before her drop reached its end- "Argg!"

Pain- Cold- Dark-

 

"What is it, my precious?"

Bella's eyes snapped open and she immediately began to choke.

She rolled onto her front as she spluttered, coughing up mouthfuls of water.

She was shivering, shaking uncontrollably with cold, but her lungs burnt. Bella panicked, her mind a mess as she tried and failed to properly take in air. Can't breathe, dying, this is what dying is-

More water found its way out and gasping for breath slowly became easier, but the pain in her chest was still excruciating.

"...What is it?"

Bella rested her forehead against the cold stone ground as the fuzziness slowly faded from her mind and her vision, body heaving.

"..tis not a fish precious, that is not a fish you have caught."


	23. Chapter 23

It took a while for all of Bella's senses to work properly again.

It was semi-dark wherever she was, the ground was hard rock, cold and damp. She was drenched, her clothes were heavy and Bofur's waterlogged hat that had somehow stayed on her head through everything had slipped down almost over her eyes, weighed down and dripping over her face. There was water lapping slightly at her feet.

"Can we eats it precious? Is it safe?"

Bella heard the voice, but it was some time before she registered the fact that she was not alone. She heard something shifting in the surrounding area.

"What is it?"

Bella scrambled to her knees, felt her mind swim, and fell backwards down the bank to land on her behind in the water. Black spots danced before her eyes. She blinked them hurriedly away and looked around. She could feel a gaze upon her, something was watching. A movement caught her eye, but before she could focus on it its cause was gone.

She sat on the edge of a giant lake, her movements sending ripples out across the black water. Her gaze wandered over the bank. She was almost sick. Lying a few metres away on the rock was the body of the goblin that had first pursued her, broken and destroyed by its impact with the ground.

"Not much meat on it precious, it looks..."

Bella could not see the source of the voice, and it was beginning to scare her. Who wouldn't be frightened if some unknown being was speaking of eating them? Her fingers clenched at the mud and rocks that lay at the bottom of the lake in her fear, sharp uneven pebbles digging into her palms. Wait...What was-?

"Disappointing! Disappointing!"

...Something smooth against her hand, not rough like the stones...circular...

Having no time to inspect what she had found Bella shoved the whole handful of mud and rocks into her submerged pocket, turning her head about frantically as she tried to locate the origin of the voice.

"Better than goblins and batses, precious, better than that!"

Then she saw it: a pallid, skulking form creeping over the rocks towards her. Two big round pale eyes, bony limbs- "Stay- Stay away!"

Bella stuttered in her fear as it came closer, shuffling back a foot before realising that she was trapped, she would only get so far before the water -became too deep for her: she was a weak swimmer at best.

Nearer and nearer, it bared its teeth with a growl.

Bella's eyes caught a glimpse of blue on the lake bottom. She did not hesitate to dive for it.

She heard the creature running at her. The light flickered out as she reached it, but her hand found the hilt of her sword and she spun around to hold the blade between her and the thing that seemed to be intending to eat her. Just in time too.

The creature skidded to a halt, her sword held at its throat. It let out a terrible wail.

"Ohhh! What is it!? What is it!?" It rolled its eyes back into its head and pulled a face in a fit of its misfortune.

Bella's arms shook, her sword felt heavy in her hands. "My name is Bella Baggins...And you keep away!"

She circled the creature, keeping her blade pointing at it as she backed out of the water and onto dry ground. The thing followed her slowly as she distanced herself from it, not getting close enough to be in danger of her sword. Wary, but curious, and not at all happy that its food was brandishing a knife.

Its expression twisted in confusion.

"A Bagginses?" It asked itself. "What is a Bagginses precious? It's got an elvish blade, but it's not an elf! Not an elf, no!"

"I'm a hobbit. F-from the Shire."

Its face lit up, excitement in its voice. "We've never tried hobbitses before!...Are they good to eat? What do they taste like precious? Are they soft? Are they-"

The creature was too close for comfort again. "I said stay back!"

Bella swung her sword in warning. "I'll use this!"

It growled and Bella cursed that her words shook. She did her best to ignore the voice in the back of her head, which sounded way too much like Thorin for her liking. Ha! What do you mean by 'use'? Your skill with a blade is practically nonexistent! How many times have you almost stabbed yourself already? You'd be doing it a favour by trying!

"What- Who are you?"

The reply was a snarl. "Mustn't ask, not its business!"

Bella felt somewhat offended. "And what do you mean by that!? It is only good manners to tell someone your name when they tell you theirs!"

The thing grumbled. "Manners precious? Of what manners does it speak?"

Bella huffed as it turned away, still muttering to itself. "Do you know the way out of here?"

"Why? Is it lost?"

"Yes, and I want to get unlost." Bella paused before adding for good measure, "As soon as possible!"

"Doesn't know where it is, does it precious?"

"I know where I am, just not where the place I want to be is in relation." Bella tugged at Bofur's hat on her head, itching to take it off and ring the water from it, but not wishing to lower her sword. She repeated herself with rising irritation. "Do you know the way?"

"Yes! Yes! We know safe paths for hobbitses! Safe paths in the dark- Shut up!"

"I didn't say anything!"

"Wasn't talking to you!"

Bella gasped in outrage. "Why I nev- I need to get out of here! I must get back to the goblin caves, there are people I need to find!"

She made as if to leave, though it was difficult to do so and keep her sword between her and the creature. "I don't have time for your games!"

"Ohh! Games!?" There was a sudden change to the creatures tone. It bounded up to perch on a rock, eyes wide. "We like games, don't we precious? Yes we do!"

It leaned forward. "Does it like games? Does it? Does it? Does it like to play?"

"Err, I- Maybe." Bella furrowed her brow, caught off guard. "But-"

"-Will it play with us precious? Will it play?" There was excitement in the way the thing jumped up and down, as if all thoughts of eating her had been momentarily forgotten.

Bella opened her mouth to tell it no, her mind wandering to Ori and Fili and Kili and the others, but was stopped by a wave of its hand.

"What has roots that nobody sees,  
Is taller than the tallest trees,  
Up, up, up it goes,  
And yet it never grows?"

Bella was slightly taken aback.

"I- The mountain, of course." She shook her head. "But I really don't have time!"

The creature that had given a noise of joy at her answer now turned nasty again as she backed away. "Does not play precious, no fun it is. Finish it now precious, finish it now-"

"No!" Bella tightened her grip on her sword, mind racing.

"No." She swallowed and tried to calm her voice. "I want to play."

It was amazing how quickly the creature could change moods. "Really precious? Really?"

"Yes. Tell you what! A game of riddles. You and me, and if I win you help me find my companions. Yes?" ...Just please don't eat me.

"Yes!" It jumped up and down and spun around. Bella doubted it was even fully listening to her terms. "Yes! Yes!"

"Yes...and if it loses precious? What then? Well, if it loses precious then we eats it!"

Bella watched silently. It realised that she could hear it...Right? 

"If Baggins loses then we eats it whole." It turned to her suddenly, stating its part of the deal as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"Oh! Umm," Bella blinked. "Fair enough."

She took a seat on a nearby rock and set her sword beside her, confident at least that the thing would at least wait until the game was over before attacking her.

The creature perched on a rock of its own.

"Baggins first."

"Right." Bella looked around, trying to bring something to mind. Ah, yes.

"You saw me where I never was,  
Where I could not be,  
And yet within that very place,  
My face you often see."

The creature frowned. It opened and closed its mouth a few times, then its gaze fell upon the water and Bella knew she wouldn't be winning on the first round.

"Reflection! In the lake! Reflection it is precious!" It laughed and clapped its hands together at its success. "Now us!"

Bella was now starting to worry over its way of talking about itself as if it were two beings. Was it completely mad? Well, it does want to eat you... 

"Alive without breath,  
As cold as death;  
Never thirsty, ever drinking,  
All in mail never clinking"

She thought for a minute, tutting and 'hmmm'ing several times before, "A fish, I would say."

"Yes! Yes! Juicy, sweet, lovely raw-"

Bella was quick to interrupt, a sick feeling rising at the way the creature described biting into its still alive-and-wriggling food.

"-Thirty white horses on a red hill,  
First they champ,  
Then they stamp,  
Then they stand still."

It fell silent immediately when presented with this new puzzle.

"...Teeth?" It frowned.

Bella tried not to pull a face. She had hoped it would take longer than that.

"Teeeth!" It did a little dance. "Oh yes my precious! But we, but we-"

It turned back to Bella with a dreadful, teeth baring grin. "We only have nine."

She swallowed. "Yes. I can see that now. Brown and yellow they are too, hardy white..."

She got a snarl for that. It hopped down from its rock to prowl around.

"Voiceless it cries,  
Wingless flutters,  
Toothless bites,  
Mouthless mutters"

Bella racked her brain. Nothing came.

"Just a second."

She stood, grasping her blade and making her way down to the lake. "Voiceless cries, wingless flutters..."

"Oooh! Oooooh! We knows! We knows!-Shut up!"

Bella looked out over the dark water. Its surface was so still, unmoving.

She could hear the creature behind her, yet no matter how hard she thought, an answer to the riddle refused to come to her.

It was as if her mind had just switched off.

"Well, Baggins? Well?"

Bella turned, sword raised slightly in her grip."I-um. A second more-"

It stalked closer. "Does it give up precious? Will it give up?"

"No, I-"

"Doesn't know the answer precious, doesn't know!"

Bella's hold on her blade tightened. She glanced around, searching for the best place to run towards if she got the chance. There...or there, not there, the lake was behind her, so dark and still and-

"Wind."

The creature stopped its advance with a growl. "Clever Bagginses, clever."

It was upset, it had thought it had got her. Bella had thought it had too.

"Well, hobbit? Well?"

Bella attempted to think of a riddle to put forward. A good one, she needed. She had to finish this game quickly, and she had to win. One came to mind. Its answer was 'dark', she knew, but in her fluster from almost not being able to solve the last riddle she was given she had quite forgotten the puzzle itself. Cannot be seen, cannot be heard, comes first then...after? No, no...something about stars and-

"Come on, come on, we're hungry, we is!"

In the end she ended up blurting out, "The more you have of it, the less you see."

Immediately she winced. Stupid! Could you have given anything simpler? Stupid!

The creature too didn't seem very impressed. "Darkness. Are turn."

Bella knew then it was starting to tire of the game. It crawled up over the rocks, slipping in and out of sight. Bella tried to keep her gaze on it.

"This thing all things devours,  
Birds, beasts, trees, and flowers.  
Gnaws iron, bites steel,  
Grinds hard stones to meal,  
Slays king, ruins town,  
And beats high mountain down"

She pondered, though thinking was hard to do with the creature creeping around as it was.

"I don't know this one." Bella muttered to herself. She had never heard it before.

"Stuck, is it?" The creature had disappeared again, its voice echoed. "Baginses is stuck!"

Bella tried not to let her panic show. She could answer it, she could, she just needed a little time-

"Is it good? Is it tasty? Soft and-"

"Oh, stop it!" Bella cried in a mixture of distress and annoyance. "Just give me time!"

"No time, no time. Games over-"

Bella's eyes widened, she spun around clutching her sword, unable to locate the creature but knowing that it was coming for her, was close-

"Time!" She yelled, heart racing. "The answer, it's time!"

Silence. Then an angry growl.

The creature appeared upon a high rock to her right, and Bella was quick to raise her blade between them.

"A-a box without hinges, key o- or-"

It was then she felt it...something stir. Something whisper.

"-or-"

Murmurs, so quiet that she thought she must have imagined them, almost as if they originated from the back of her mind. Bella glanced around the cave. Again! There it was again-! Where-?

"Well? Come on then, come on! Ask us a question!"

Bella barely registered the creature's words, her hand had found the fabric of her waistcoat. She frowned in confusion. What on earth-?

'What...' She wondered to herself, dumbfounded. Her fingers brushed smooth, muddy metal.

"...What have I got in my pocket?"


	24. Chapter 24

Bella was just about to empty everything out so that she could see what it was when the creature's raised voice cut through her thoughts.

"But-! But that's not fair!" It wailed.

Bella looked up. What was it talking about?

"We don't know that! Give us another one!"

She thought back to what the creature had said. Oh. A question.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. You said to give you a question, well here mine is: what have I got in my pocket?" Bella tried her best to sound confident, not to allow her voice to shake.

Indeed, what did she have in her pocket? Nothing she had expected to find in a cave under the mountain, of that she was reasonably certain.

The thing grumbled. "Three guesses!"

"Just three." Bella nodded in agreement. "Go on then."

It wasted no time. "Handses!"

"Nope." Bella lifted her hands in front of her in proof. "Two more goes."

"Errr..." The creature looked around for inspiration. "String! Knife! Rocks!"

Bella dropped her hands and grinned in victory.

"Aha!" She pointed at the creature. "I said two more, that was three. You lose." Well, there were rocks in her pocket, but she wasn't about to tell it that. It had been it's forth guess anyway. Didn't count.

The creature gave an awful cry and hit the ground like a child, but Bella felt rather proud of herself regardless, because she had won. Suddenly she found herself in possession of new confidence.

"I win. You show me the way now."

She pulled at her damp clothes, adjusted her waistcoat and scabbard, and pushed Bofur's hat a bit more securely on to her head. The creature just continued to lie on the ground. It didn't move.

Bella scowled slightly. Who knew how long she had been down here? She needed to get going. She had to find the others. They wouldn't be dead yet, they couldn't be dead yet, she hadn't got there to save them yet. Besides, she needed them to be alive so that she could rub how completely unhelpless she was now in Thorin's face. "Come on, you promised."

The creature made no move to get up and show her the way. It muttered into the ground. "...Did we precious? Did we promise it?"

Bella gulped. It was not like she had not expected the creature to go back on its word, she had just been desperately hoping it wouldn't. Damn it.

She began to back away. The creature turned, an evil expression darkening its face. It stalked forward a step for every one she managed to take back. Bella readied herself to run, or to try and fight it off or something, but then, quite suddenly, it stopped. It seemed to think of something.

"What has it got in its pocketses precious?"

Bella almost laughed, because she didn't really know herself. She slipped her free hand back into her waistcoat. "That is no concern of yours. I may consider telling you if you help me find my companions though." And don't eat me, of course.

"But we want to know now, don't we precious?"

For a second its expression lightened somewhat, its tone of voice brightened. "We'll show you what's in ours if you show us what's in yours."

She fought raising an eyebrow. It had pockets? 

Bella shook her head. "Only if you show me the way as well."

"Yes, yes."

She did not trust the creature to keep its word, and did not care one bit about what it had in its possession, but the fact remained that without it she had very little chance of getting to where she wanted to go. She imagined the caves and passageways were complex.

The creature reached into the cloth it was wearing, and Bella let her fingers find the hard metal amongst the drying sand and mud in her pocket. She traced the band. A ring, it must be. A ring in a cave under the mountain. Probably dropped from above like you were. 

Bella only realised she had been lost in thought when a howl startled her back to reality. She snatched her fingers away.

"Noooo! Where is it!? Where is it!?"

Bella resisted the urged to take a step back at the volume of its wails. "Where is what?"

"My precious! My precious! Is gone, it is! Gone gone gone!" It scrambled to search what it had of clothing, and failing that began to claw at the mud around it and over turn rocks in its search.

"Oh. Well, that's a shame." Bella watched it roll about.

It went still again. "What has it got in its pocket precious?"

It looked up at her. Bella could almost see its mind working, afterall she too was thinking the same. Her fingers found their way back into her pocket. Was this what the creature was looking for? Had it dropped it when it dragged her from the lake? She was just about to ask it, was it a ring it was searching for, by chance, but was cut off when it screamed.

"Thief! Thief!" It bared its teeth at her in hatred. "Dirty rotten thief!"

Bella opened her mouth to speak, because she wanted not the thing in her pocket, and it could have it back for all that she cared. She did not get the chance to tell the creature this however, because at that moment it leapt at her like a wild animal.

Bella danced out of the way and tried to speak again.

"Nasty little hobbit! It stole it!"

A rock was hurled in her direction. She dodged. "Wait-"

"It stole it!"

Another stone flew past her to the left, accompanied by an angry growl. She turned to the creature, gripping her sword tightly in one hand. "Now see here-!"

More rocks came, and eventually she ducked and ran down the closest passageway. The thing immediately gave a scream, and she heard it running after her.

She sprinted down narrow passages, squeezed through gaps -ouch! That hurt! And oh! Her poor buttons! Stumbling over rocks, tripping on uneven ground, then-

Bella cursed. A dead end.

The sound of the creature nearing reached her ears. There was nowhere to go. Nowhere to run. The last turning was far enough back that she would run into the creature if she tried to get to it.

"Thief!"

Bella pulled the ring from her pocket, setting eyes on it for the first time. It was a plain band, a pretty gold little thing. This was what the creature wanted so much? This was what it was after?

She rubbed the mud from it to see if there were any patterns decorating it. Not on the outside, no, inside- Bella gasped as a cold feeling washed over her, all the way from the top of her head down to her toes. Well, that was odd. That was very odd indeed. Everything seemed slightly darker than normal, less colourful.

She jumped as the creature rounded the corner, and slipped the ring properly onto her finger.

The thing skidded to a halt. Bella pushed herself forward from the stone face a bit. She was going to have to fight and she couldn't do that pressed up against a wall. She stared at the creature, her breathing so shallow she could barely hear it over the sound of her heart. Her sweaty palms tightened their grip on her sword. She waited for the creature to make a move.

It didn't though. Its eyes scanned the passageway, passing over Bella twice before it gave a frustrated howl and turned and ran back the way it had come.

Bella blinked in shock and confusion. It was almost as if the creature had not seen her. But that was impossible...wasn't it? Her gaze fell on the ring on her finger.

Gandalf had told her once -there were many magic rings in the world, all of them with different powers and origins. Could this be...? It made sense somewhat, why else would the creature be so upset at losing it? A magic ring, now there was something you didn't come across often.

It was a strike of luck for her though. A ring that made you invisible. Sounded like a mighty useful thing to have, especially when enemies were looking for you. Better not attempt to give it back. The creature would only eat you after anyway. Besides, finders keepers.

Bella started back down the trail, quietly, for she did not know whether sound prevention was another magic possessed by her find. She jogged through passages, turning left, turning right, trying to find a way that seemed lighter and may hint at a trail lit by goblin lamps, or else show the way to the outside world. Failing that she tried Gandalf's advice: if your eyes do you no favour, always follow your nose. It was not a particularly successful strategy, Bella found.

At some point along the way she found herself certain that she was going in circles, because those rocks looked very familiar.

She found the pack the goblin had thrown from above, its contents scattered about the rocky ground, and that bit of insane fortune raised her spirits somewhat. The map, Ori's now completely battered spine-broken book, the dagger...Dori's knitting needle was beyond repair though. Bella looked up. All she saw was darkness. It was hard to tell in this place when there was rock above your head and when there was not and the air went all the way up the where the goblins roamed.

She slung the bag over her shoulder and was on her way again.

This time she had more luck. The passages seemed to get less dim, less damp and thick aired. Bella quickened her pace.

Outside! Bella could see the way now. She did not know how she would find the way up to the goblin caves, but outside was a start. It was better than creeping about in the dark. Bella made to run forward, but then something made her stop-

The creature, muttering to itself madly, in the middle of the passage she wanted to go down. She was so close. So close, but it was right in her way. She would not be able to get past it without alerting it to her presence. She could wait for it to move on, but that would only be a waste of more time.

She snuck towards it, sword in front of her defensively.

"...rotten hobbit, nasty hobbit, dirty little thief..."

What to do...What to do... She assessed her options.

"...Stole it from us, thief with its horrid pocketses-"

The creature froze when it felt the light press of metal at its throat.

Bella too did not move. She held her blade carefully to the creature's neck. Could she do it? Could she kill it? Her breathing shallowed. It would be logical to get rid of the thing, it could still cause harm if it managed to grab on to her or followed her. And by valar, it wanted to eat her! What if it harmed another poor soul that had the misfortune to get lost in the mountain? She, having had this chance, would be to blame! The thing was mad, a vicious creature, there was an evil darkness in its eyes, she had seen it.

...Did it deserve to live?

Bella brought her sword back, raised and ready to swing. She was a mere foot away. She had the power to do whatever she may.

...But this creature had saved her life, hadn't it? Its intentions may not have been honourable, they may have been downright horrid, but the fact remained that she had fallen into a lake, fallen hundreds of metres, and had passed out when she hit the water. She had been unconscious in a deep, dark lake. She most likely would have drowned before even regaining consciousness if she had been alone. This creature had pulled her out of the water, it was to this creature she owed that she still breathed.

...Could she?

Who was she to give judgement?

The creature turned. It was scared. Bella's breath caught. She readjusted her grip on her blade.

True courage is about knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one...Was this life one she should spare though? What-

The creature turned its head towards the way out sharply, it ducked down further behind a rock. Bella gasped as she heard the fall of heavy boots.

She could have cried when the dwarves ran past the end of the passage, oh and Gandalf too! They were alive! The wizard must have got them out! She simultaneously wanted both to jump for joy and slump to the ground in relief. Gloin and Thorin, Fili and Kili, Bifur, Bofur, Dori and Ori and Dwalin. Nori and Bombur, Balin, Oin...Oh, thank goodness! All of them were there!

They were gone as soon as they appeared, and Bella was just about to follow them when the creature shifted and she remembered that she had her sword raised to kill the thing. She watched as it turned its attention back to the place where she stood. Its eyes scanned where it knew she must be with terror, and Bella lowered her blade with a gulp.

It was a pathetic thing, the way it lived, the way it thought...She could not help a sense of pity for it.

A seconds thought and she had made up her mind. She brought the tip of her blade so that it rested under the creature's chin.

"I'll have you know that I am not a thief. I am a burglar."

And with that she withdrew her blade and pushed past the creature, sprinting down the trail and around the corner after the dwarves without looking back.

Behind her she heard the curses and wailing screams of 'Baggins!', and choaks of 'Gollum! Gollum!' but she no longer had mind for the creature: catching up with the company was her goal.


	25. Chapter 25

Bella ran and ran as fast as could, leaping over rocks and stumbling on uneven ground. The company thankfully was still close enough to be in sight, and even when they entered the trees she was near enough that she could determine their heading.

It had stopped raining while they were in the caves and the sun had risen, but the ground was still wet and Bella more than once lost her balance and acquired more than enough mud to make up for what a dunk in a lake had rid her of. She didn't slow down, eager to be as far away from those dangerous mountains and the horrid creatures that lived in them as possible.

It took some time to reach the others, and she only did so in the end when the dwarves had halted. She stopped at the edge of the clearing they were gathered in and did her best to catch her breath, knowing that she was still invisible to those in front of her, but not wanting to appear to them in such a state as she was at present: she had very little dignity left, but it would be good to keep whatever she could retained. She sheathed her sword and took Bofur's hat from her head, pushing her hair from her face and straightening her clothes, doing up what buttons had remained intact on her waistcoat and fussing but not managing to improve much of her appearance. She sighed. If her father saw her now...wet, muddy, bruised, and bleeding slightly from scratched knees and forearms...Just hold your head high, that's all you can do for yourself at present.

She took a deep breath and was just about to slip off the ring and step out from behind the tree she leant against when she heard her name being spoken.

"Where's Bilbo?"

Her ears picked. Fili, of that she was sure. She could imagine he and his brother looking about with panic when they realised she was not in sight. Obviously whatever had happened in the caves had been enough of a confusion that her absence had not been noticed.

Mutters and exclamations sounded as the others also found that she was not in their group.

"Bilbo?" Oh, it was good to hear Gandalf's voice after so many weeks, she had missed the wizard. 

"Where is our hobbit?" The wizard all but roared, his concern for her bringing anger to his words when no one gave an immediate answer.

Bella felt a pang of guilt that she caused them to worry, and decided it was high time to reveal herself with a 'It's okay, I'm here.' But then a thought struck her. What would they do if they thought her gone? What would they say? It was her curiosity that held her from stepping out.

"H-He's...gone...I-" Nori. Not sounding all that good either. Bella glanced around the tree to take a look.

The dwarf in question had his hand to his head. Bella saw blood. Must have been why he took so long to speak up. She let her eyes drift over the others. Many of them had bruises already starting to bloom. Oin was half way through wrapping a bleeding hand and Bombur was rubbing his jaw unhappily, checking that all of his teeth were still intact. They may have escaped but by the look of it they had also taken quite a beating.

"What do you know?" Gandalf rounded on the dwarf. "Speak!"

Nori winced. "I let him go...didn't think we- that you'd come for us...I thought we were going to be killed."

Gandalf slumped, looking older than he ever had.

This is silly, you shouldn't be doing this. Show yourself now. Go on-

"Can you blame me? I gave him a chance to get home, which is more than I thought we had."

"No. You did right." Gandalf shook his head. "I have failed him."

Alright, enough. End this- 

"Let us hope that he has succeeded in doing something for once and is alive and on his way home as we speak." Thorin had his back to her as he spoke, and there was an edge to his voice which Bella couldn't identify. She didn't dare assume it could be concern for her welfare.

Gandalf had turned in the direction they had come, staring back at the mountains in contemplation. He looked about to go back. Thorin's words made him whip his head back around to face the leader.

"What hope do you think he has alone? No, master dwarf, I do believe the likelihood of our burglar returning home is low indeed."

Thorin stayed silent, his shoulders tensing noticeably. Balin and many of the rest of the dwarves had their heads hung low, her fate seemingly certain in their minds. Bifur still looked around, his expression one of distress. He asked his cousin something in ancient dwarfish, but of course Bombur could not answer, and Gandalf had set his attentions on the mountains again.

"But-" Kili and Ori looked ready to cry, Bofur and Fili devastated, Nori the picture of guilt because to him he was partly responsible: though he could not have known at the time he had tried to help her, if he hadn't she would most probably have been with them now. Oh no, look now what you have done! Move now. Move move move-

"He knew what he was in for when he signed the contract." Thorin shook his head slowly. "Our own chances of returning home have become slimmer also, Gandalf. Before there were very few people alive who knew of our plans to retake Erebor..."

...Erebor...home? Bella had not really thought of Erebor as home to the dwarves before. It had been their home at some point of course, it had been said so on the night she was first told of the quest. But then since she had rarely considered it such, for what she had been told of their lost land was mostly about the riches that lay there.

Dwarves liked gold, she had always known that from her books. The one that had first really told her of Erebor had been Bofur, perhaps the dwarf in the company to have the least interest in precious things, but never the less he had told her about them. He had only been a child when he had lived in Erebor and the time his father had shown him the mines was one of his few memories of the place. She supposed it had been all he really could tell her, but that and the fact that the older dwarves who could remember more hadn't told her anything meant that the gold and riches were all she had ever heard about. It had been all too easy to forget and think of the quest as merely for the gold when there was no talk of the things that had actually made the place a home.

But...home. She supposed it was. There had to be more in it than the gold.

Bella thought of all she missed about her own home, the place that she belonged, and thought back to those terrible words she had spoken to Bofur in the cave, about them having no such place. Well, that was the point of all this wasn't it? For somewhere to belong. Everyone deserved that. A home. 

That was what they were fighting for. Many of them would die for it if need be, she guessed. Bella had, not a day ago, dangling from that ledge back in the mountains, been angry at herself for throwing her life away for 'a blasted treasure hunt'. But this was different. Could she put down her life for this? Could she die for this?

Everyone deserves a place to belong. Her eyes ran over the dwarves, over Fili and Kili and Ori. They deserve a home.

Yes. Yes, she supposed she could.

She slipped off the ring and stepped out.

"...The map is lost. And worse yet in goblin hands it is likely now-"

"I am begging your pardon, Mr Oakenshield," She ignored the gasps and cries of 'Bilbo!', and 'Mr Baggins!', walking up to the leader who had spun round like a shot upon hearing her voice.

She fished the map out of the pack she carried as she came to stand in front of him. "but it is not."

Bella offered the map to him, which he hesitated before taking, opening his mouth wordlessly as he stared at her in shock.

There was a moments silence, her sudden appearance took a few seconds to sink in. Bella held her head high as they stared, hoping beyond hope that that wasn't mud on her nose she could see. Please let it not be-

"Bilbo Baggins." Gandalf's booming voice was flooded with relief, joy, and no small amount of astonishment. He shook his head disbelievingly and sighed before he began to chuckle, most likely at the state of her. "Oh, my dear."

Bella sent a half-glare at the wizard at that. My dear? Of all the things he could call her. She had worked hard to keep her secret.

No one seemed to find the wizard's words odd in their distraction though, and she was quickly surrounded by Fili, Kili, Ori and Bofur. "Mr Bilbo!"

"Bye Aule, yer soaked!" Bofur exclaimed as he clapped her on the back. "Whatever happened to yer?"

"Took a little tumble off a ledge, is all." Was Bella's mumbled reply from between the others as she handed the miner back his hat.

All of the dwarves came over to pat her on the shoulder, all except Thorin, but she found she hardly cared about that. She didn't expect him to.

Ori gave a squeak of joy when it was brought to his knowledge that weeks worth of writing had not been lost, and she was just about to pass Balin his dagger when familiar howls cut through the air.

The company froze.

"Aule, no..." Bella heard Dwalin breath from behind her.

Thorin met Gandalf's eyes. "Out of the frying pan..."

"And into the fire." The wizard finished. He glanced around at them all. "Run!...RUN!"

 

Running, Bella thought to herself, was all she had seemed to be doing of late. However, with a pack of wargs on her tail she could hardly stop.

The company made haste through the trees. Bella looked up at the sky as she jumped off another rock. The last light of day was fading, the shadows were becoming darker, night was approaching fast.

The howls and growls grew nearer and nearer, they could not out run the beasts, not on foot.

"Quickly, quickly!" Gandalf urged her on despite knowing she could not possibly move faster. He was worried. They all were.

Closer. Too close. They sounded almost as if they were among them now. Bella didn't dare turn around to see for fear she'd trip.

Bofur was behind her, Dwalin to her left with Fili and Kili, Bombur-

"Ahh!" Bella gasped as a growl sounded right at her back. A warg leapt off the rock she was just passing, landing in front of her and turning. Bella skidded to a halt as it set eyes on her. Horrible black eyes. Giant sharp teeth-

She stumbled backwards as it charged, pulling out her sword and-

Bella watched, eyes wide, as it fell to the floor, her blade wedged in its forehead from where it had impaled itself with its momentum. She looked up, breathing shallow and eyes darting about. Other wargs had reached the company.

She stood in slight shock against a tree as Ori ran past to her left, taking down a snarling creature with Dwalin's war hammer as he gave a terrified cry.

Thorin was to her right, a dead warg lying at his feet. His eyes widened as he glanced back in the direction they had come. Damn. That couldn't be good.

Bella surged back into action, trying to yank her sword from the dead warg's forehead. It didn't budge. Bella swore and felt no shame over doing so as she put all her strength into pulling at the blade and it remained stuck.

"Let go." Bella dropped her hands from the sword as Thorin placed a foot on the warg's head and gave the blade a hard tug. It came free.

"Here!" The sword was shoved back into her hands.

Some of the company were a way ahead, what they had found was bad. A sheer drop. They had nowhere to go.

"Up into the trees!" Gandalf cried. "Come on! All of you! Climb!"

They ran to where the others were swinging themselves up into the tall pines. Bifur threw a rock that hit a warg pursuing them before hauling himself up into the branches.

"They are coming!" Someone yelled, Bella was not in right mind to tell who.

Dwalin pulled up Balin, Kili helped Fili, Nori was up a tree like a shot, Bofur close behind. Bella saw Bombur heave himself on to a branch, and thanked Valar that the wood was strong.

"Get up! Hurry!" Thorin lowered his hands for her to step onto. She did so in a second and he boosted her up. "Dori!"

"Right!" The mentioned dwarf on the branch above closed his grip on her forearms as she reached up, pulling her into the tree as if she weighed nothing.

Thorin jumped and hauled himself up as well and then all three of them were climbing upwards, Ori already somewhere above them.

Once they had reached a suitable height Bella glanced down. As many as thirty wargs were running about below, snarling and growling over the shouts of the dwarves.

Then they went silent. It took a few moments for Bella to realise why.

"Azog!" Thorin breathed in a mixed of disbelief and pained misfortune as she set eyes on the pale orc. Bella felt fear wash over her at the sight of the terrifying creature. The creature that wanted to destroy the line of Durin. Wanted to see Thorin dead.

It's skin was white, covered in scars, and one of its forearms was gone, the one Thorin had taken. Now in its place was a weapon, driven through the beasts flesh itself. Its eyes, its nose, teeth and ears, it was a creature of nightmares, and Bella knew if she lived through this encounter it would haunt her. There was nothing but hatred and ice cold malice emanating from the giant orc, the desire for blood and torture, pure murderous intent; it was strangling.

Once Bella would have doubted such evil could ever exist outside of books, now she wished she could still believe such.


	26. Chapter 26

The pale orc leaned forward on its mount and smelt the air.

It spoke then, in a voice that chilled Bella to the core. The words it said were unknown to her, but she had no doubt of their evil nature.

"It cannot be..." Thorin shook his head slowly, a note of despair leaking into his words and emotion in his eyes. Fear? Grief? Had he understood the pale orc's words, or was the sight of the creature enough to cause this? What could it have said to him to cause such pain?

The orc's gaze suddenly moved from Thorin up to her. It sneered at her for a second and glanced over the rest of the dwarves before turning back to its main interest. "Fifteen little birds...what to do with them?"

The gundabad orc shouted a command to its followers and suddenly they were charging forward.

The wargs ripped and clawed at the trees, tearing at branches trying to reach the company. They leapt and growled and battered the pines, digging at their roots with frightening purpose. Bella near screamed as the tree she was in shook. She held on to her branch for dear life, those wargs could jump high, their monstrous snapping jaws were much too close.

"Up! Go further up!" Thorin pulled himself on to the branch she clung to as a warg clawed its way higher than those had before, and Bella glanced up to see how far away the next hold on the tree was.

But then something about the tree just seemed to give. Its beating finally taking its toll.

It was falling.

Bella's stomach dropped. Falling to sharp teeth and claws hungry for blood.

The pine smashed into a neighbouring tree as it fell, and Bella found herself thrown onto a thick branch beside Dwalin. She heard shouts coming from Gloin, Balin, Bifur, Ori and Dori somewhere above, caught sight of Thorin who had tumbled past her onto a branch below.

But then the second tree was falling into the one that held Nori, Bofur, Fili and Kili and there was no time to think, just to grab on desperately to whatever possible. There was cruel laughter, shouts, the cracking sound of splintering wood, pain where bruises would later form, never a hold that stayed still or intact for more than a second after finding it, the snarls of wargs below just waiting for them to fall-

Finally Bella found herself somewhere which wasn't moving.

She looked down, but quickly looked back up again with a sharp breath. The last tree. The last tree right on the edge of the cliff.

Fili was next to her, Gandalf above, the other twelve dwarves hanging in the branches.

The last tree, wargs ripping at its base, so far to fall-

Gandalf threw a burning pinecone down to the ground at the base of the tree. The flames caught the grass quickly, driving the wargs back. They lingered, darting back and forth, unsure. They had orders to carry out, but they feared the fire.

"Fili!" The wizard dropped a lit cone down to the dwarf, and Bella pulled one off the tree to light from it as more were passed to other members of the company.

The flaming hot balls were juggled in hands, scolding skin red before being hurled down to create a barrier of fire between the tree and the wargs where they fell.

The wargs ran in retreat as the flames rose in height, and the pale orc's angered roar was lost to the dwarves' cries of victory. Bella herself let out a breathless laugh, momentarily forgetting the situation they were still in. Then the tree gave a lurch.

The celebration was brought to an abrupt stop as everyone did their best to hold on. The pine fell sideways until it was dangling almost horizontally on the side of the cliff, kept in the ground only by its weakening roots.

Bella struggled to keep her grip, everyone did, caught off guard by the sudden movement.

"Mr Gandalf!"

She gasped when she caught sight of Dori and Ori dangling from the tree, the younger dwarf clinging on to his brother's leg for dear life. Then Dori's hands slipped from the wood and the dwarf was hanging on to the end of Gandalf's staff instead.

"Just hold on Dori!"

The company tried to heave themselves into less precarious positions. Bella herself was held by her arms over her branch, her legs kicked at thin air in attempt to find something for a foot hold, but there was nothing below.

Oh Valar, this is bad. This is bad, this is bad, this is bad!

They needed to get off the tree and onto solid ground, the roots couldn't hold, they were bound to fall.

Their only chance was to climb back off the tree and on to the cliff, hopefully they could pull Dori and Ori up somehow. They could get through the flames, but then they would be at the mercy of the wargs and orcs. Maybe they would be better off making a stand, no matter how hopeless it may be: if they could kill the pale orc the rest would most likely flee, orcs depended on their leaders, and the wargs could be scared off with more fire. They would die anyway if they stayed put-

"Thorin, wait-!" Bella scrambled to try and pull herself up as the dwarf managed to stand and draw his sword. It seemed he had come to the same conclusion as her: that the only possible way was a fight. But to fight alone was madness, and no one else was yet able to join him. He'd be killed! 

The look on his face when he set eyes on the pale orc was enough to tell Bella that he would not hear reason on this though. There was going to be a confrontation between the two old enemies no matter what she said.

The leader barely spared her a glance before setting towards the giant gundabad orc with intent on ending the life he should have decades ago, charging through the flames. Stupid dwarf, stupid! Bella and the rest could only watch in terror as Azog urged his warg forward to meet their leader with a roar.

The creature leapt. Its forefeet collided with Thorin and knocked him to the ground. Bella doubled her efforts to get up onto the tree trunk, cursing to herself as splinters dug into her palms. Stupid! Thorin may have been able to hold his own against Azog before, but this time the orc was riding a giant warg!

The pale orc turned about and charged again, this time smashing its weapon into Thorin's chest with terrible force, bowling the dwarf backwards just as he managed to get to his feet.

Bella heard the shouts of the dwarves, the cries of 'No!', 'Uncle!', 'Thorin!' Most had their own problems to deal with however. She squeezed her eyes shut and put all her strength into pushing herself off her elbows and hauling her body up.

Yes-! Her success at hooking a leg over the branch was shattered when Thorin's shout of pain reached her ears.

She got to her feet in time to see Azog's warg throwing the dwarf from its jaws onto the rock. Thorin fell hard. He didn't get up.

Bella felt anger, she felt hatred towards the orc. She felt fear, fear of the creature itself, but more strongly fear for Thorin's life, and that type of fear overran every voice inside her head telling her that what she was about to do was madness, every last bit of common sense. The pale orc's cruel laughter ran through the air and Bella tightened her grip on her drawn sword. She clambered off the tree and let her feet hit solid ground, keeping her eyes on the orcs.

Azog gave an order to one of his followers. It jumped down from its warg and lumbered towards Thorin menacingly.

Bella saw Thorin struggle for his sword and broke into a flat out sprint, she knew exactly what the orc planned to do even before it touched its blade to the dwarf's neck to line up its swing.

No no no! She had to get there in time!

The orc raised its blade, Bella lunged.

Her breath was almost knocked away when she collided with the hard body of the orc double her size. Her weight would have made no impact had she not caught the creature off balance, but as it was it went tumbling to the ground with her on top.

Bella almost let out a squeak when it pinned its eyes on her and growled in her face, and she wasted no time in burying her blade in its stomach. That only made it growl again louder, this time in pain. A stab in the chest to where she guessed its heart must be quickly made it quiet.

Bella stumbled off the creature, heart thundering and the sound of blood rushing in her ears. She gave a sharp intake of breath when she looked down at the dead orc. Had she really just killed that giant monster!?

She turned briefly to Azog who was observing her with a strange interest, a jolt of terror momentarily freezing her in place as she met his eyes. Then she heard Thorin give a groan. She rushed to his side. "Thorin!"

The dwarf stirred, his eyes fell on her without focus. He was not going to be getting up, Bella realised with a sinking feeling. She was on her own at that moment.

She looked up to face the pale orc, standing between it and the company leader. A sense of foreboding settled in her stomach, because there really was only one way this could end, and she did not want to die. She was scared, no- she was downright terrified. ...But she did not feel faint nor mentally affected by her fear, her mind was clear. Her sword did not shake in her hand, her grip on it remained firm, and she was surprised to find there was no instinct to run, only to protect the dwarf lying on the ground behind her.

Three of Azog's giant followers began to advance on her, their wargs growling to reveal sharp teeth in dripping, hungry jaws. Bella gulped and raised her sword in front of her defensively, not knowing which way to turn.

But then something happened that she did not expect.

Azog raised his remaining hand in signal for them to stop.

They paused, looking to their leader for instruction. Bella frowned, the gundabad orc was regarding her with what could only be amusement. What was happening-? 

Oh.

Bella watched as the pale orc gave a command and one lone follower slipped down to the ground, its weapon drawn. The ugly creature stalked towards her as its leader and the others watched on. Azog could have her killed any time he wished. This was a game.

He had not believed her capable of killing one of his group, and to be honest neither had she. Such a weak little thing she must be to him, yet there she stood. Something odd and contradictory, something to be tested to see how far it could be pushed. One orc could quite easily kill her, but her fate was not sealed as it would be against many. Like a wildcat would play with an injured bird she would be allowed to struggle and entertain until either she was killed in the game or boredom set in and the decision to end things was made.

And she had no choice but to go along with the hopeless charade.

The orc towered above her, almost twice her height. It gave a vicious cry and swung its blade at her. Bella ducked, missing losing her head by a mere second. A downwards swing had her diving out of the way.

The orc was strong, but not used to such a small opponent, and Bella dodged and slipped under several blows that were dished out with speed. Barely having escaped a swing she darted around its side and took her chance from behind. She had not skill, so took what luck gave her.

With a battle cry she swung her sword then with all her strength at the back of the creature's legs, cutting deep in to unprotected flesh. The beast fell to its knees and gave a roar of pain. A stabbing blow to the back of the neck and it fell face forwards to the ground.

By this time Bella was not thinking, simply acting. She wheeled round to set her sight on Azog, who did not seem to care at all that she had killed another of his followers, only more amused. What was coming next? What would he-

It was then Fili, Kili and Dwalin arrived, charging in with shouts. Complete madness broke out. Bella stood for all of a second to gather her wits before she too threw herself into the thick of things, between the snapping of teeth and clash of metal.

She was not of much help to the dwarves, she just swung at whatever came too close. She stumbled when she was pushed aside by a warg, tripping and meeting the floor amid the claws and fall of heavy paws.

A growl sounded above her and she froze at what she saw: Azog and his white warg advancing towards her. The warg bared its teeth-

Bella gasped and Azog turned as a giant form swooped down and snatched a warg close by, hurling it off the cliff.

Shapes moved against the dark sky. Eagles, Bella realised, quite stunned. Giant eagles.

They came screeching and descending on the wargs, picking them up and dropping them from high in the air. One pushed down a burning tree upon the creatures, and others gathered about the one where many of the dwarves still hung, plucking them from the branches and carrying them off.

One picked up Thorin's still prone form, and Bella saw another snatch up Fili and Kili. Then one was heading for her. Oh goodness- She sucked in a breath and clutched her sword tightly, tensing as its claws closed around her, plucking her off the ground and carrying her up into the air.

Then suddenly it let go.

She screamed as she fell, felt the wind rush past her. Bella landed on the feathery back of an eagle. She dug in her fists, scared for a moment that she would slip. After a few seconds she realised she wouldn't and pushed herself up slightly to gaze about.

Fire blazed behind them.

A number of the giant birds flew across the sky. Most of the company were just blobs to her eyes, and she could not discern who was who, but she counted fourteen of them and for the moment that was enough for her. She slumped into the feathers, her energy leaving her but her heart still taking its time to calm down.

She half buried her face in the eagle's back and closed her eyes to feel the wind run past her as it flew onwards, over mountains, rock and trees towards the rising light of dawn. She all but missed the spectacular views she could have seen, but found she did not care. She worried for the others, Thorin especially, but had exhausted herself both mentally and physically. She wanted everyone to be okay and she wanted sleep.

Bella did not know how much time passed while on the eagles, but by when they had begun to spiral down it was light. She fell to her knees on the rock when the eagle had landed and she slid down from its back despite the care she tried to take to get to the ground.

Thorin. She nodded to the bird in thanks before rushing to where Gandalf was already bent over the dwarf and muttering to himself. She slipped to the floor beside the wizard. "Will he wake?"

She got no answer as Gandalf continued to murmur words of a strange language, the slight frown crossing his face at her interruption the only sign that he had heard her question.

"Uncle Thorin!" Fili and Kili were set down and ran over just as the wizard gave a sigh of relief and straightened. Bella herself let out a heavy long held breath, for then Thorin stirred, his eyes opening as he slowly began to regain his senses. She vaguely noticed as one by one the company members were deposited on the rock and joined them, but made no effort to stand, completely drained. Dwarves. They were bad for your health with all the scares they gave you.

She watched as Fili and Kili helped their uncle to sit, and met Thorin's eyes when he looked to her.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Bella could only let out a slightly hysterical noise and drop her head. There was black orc blood down the front of her waistcoat.

Was she okay? In the last day she had fought goblins and orcs, been chased and driven up trees. She had felt fear for her life and for the lives of everyone else. She had fallen off ledges, had been nearly eaten and had almost drowned. She had also killed, she had killed and she could find no remorse at having done so. They had almost died. She had almost had to watch him die. Bella held down a sob. Was she okay? She wanted to cry.

A rough hand found its way to her shoulder and she looked up. Thorin's expression was hard to measure. "You saved my life."

She did not protest when he pulled her in close and drew her into a hug, though she was more than a bit shocked. "I said that you had no place among us, that you never should have come."

"You did." Bella nodded, hesitating for a moment as to whether to wrap her own arms around the dwarf, but then giving in with a sigh and slumping into the embrace. She was still confused, still uncertain as to whether he would push her away, but too tried to care. Warm. Comfortable. Safe. Don't fall asleep here, you can't fall asleep, that would be bad- 

"You may call me incorrect, Mr Baggins." He drew back but kept his hands on her shoulders. "I believe I have never been so wrong."

Bella heard the laughs and cheers around them and could not help but give a small smile herself when the apology finally registered. So she had finally proved her worth to him? It had taken some time...but she supposed she hadn't really done much in her own favour up until now. He could not be blamed for having doubted her, thinking on it she would have doubted her too. She was not a great fighter, not a hero, she wasn't even a burglar: surviving up until now had been luck. She was glad Thorin valued loyalty over skill, because that was all she could promise, that she would do what she could to see their quest succeed.

And so Bella, being a hobbit, did what hobbits would do despite all the stubborness she could possess, and quite easily came to the decision of forgiving all that had been done and said before, happy to take the surrender of pride for the peace offering it was and start anew.

Her smile grew, around them the company were happily celebrating the fact that they were all alive as they watched the eagles sweep off into the distance. The sun shone bright, it seemed everything had ended well even after all that had happened.

Fingers tightened their grip on her shoulder as Thorin suddenly frowned. "You almost got yourself killed."

Bella could now recognise the slight anger in his tone for the worry it was. She gave him the best glare she could. He was not allowed to do that. She was the one who had right to be angry and worried, she was the one who had had to watch him go off alone and get beaten to unconsciousness. Stupid dwarf. "So did you-"

Something caught her gaze then, cutting short whatever rant may have sprang from her mouth: between the legs of the company, a distant shape on the horizon. "Is..."

Thorin turned to follow her frozen gaze, a look of awe was brought to his face, and one by one the others fell silent and looked too. "...is that what I think it is?"

She met Thorin's gaze and they helped each other struggle to their feet as the company gathered at the edge of the rock.

"The lonely mountain." Gandalf spoke as they reached the others, and the dwarves parted for them to see. "Erebor, the last of the great dwarf kingdoms of Middle-earth."

"Home." It slipped from Thorin's lips.

The dwarves stood in wonder. For many this was the first time they had set eyes on their homeland. Bella found it hard to draw her gaze away from it: even though it was far it stood so discernibly on the horizon, it was a sight not like the amazing waterfalls of Rivendell nor the high Misty Mountains...it was in some way even more breath-taking than those.

A thrush flew past them, singing as it flitted through the air. "The birds are returning to the mountain."

"We'll take it as a sign, a good omen."

Bella looked around the company. A good omen. "Yes, I think we should."

She did not believe the worst was yet behind them, their quest still had a long way to go, and they could not forget the dragon that lay at the end, but the company was strong. They had made it this far, and together she was beginning to think they could make it all the way. It may not be easy, in fact she was sure it would not be, but she found she was ready for it, after a good rest and some food at least.

Every day as it comes...


	27. Chapter 27

The company did not try to climb down to the ground at once: none were really in the state to do so. They just tended to their wounds and one by one dropped down onto the rock to sleep. Gloin and Bombur were snoring within minutes.

Bella herself had managed to fuss over Fili and Kili for a good while despite her exhaustion, and Dori had attempted much the same with Ori, but they were both eventually forced to abandon their efforts. Bella watched as the brother's breathing evened and deepened with tired eyes. She knew she could not sleep where she presently sat, there was not room, not with Gloin sprawled out behind her as he was, but with the scares the last day had brought she found that she could not draw her gaze away from the young dwarves for quite some time after they had fallen into slumber. The voice in the back of her mind told her that they would not disappear the moment she turned away, but still...

She sighed, pushing herself to her feet with a yawn and looking around blearily. Gandalf was still awake, sitting on the edge of the rock staring out and humming to himself, and Thorin still sat with his eyes open too. Thorin had made Oin see to everyone else's injuries before he would allow the medic to see his own, but most of the dwarves only had nasty scratches and bruises of which little could be done about and that they could address by themselves. He now sent her a look from the other side of the rock. Lie down before you fall down burglar.

Bella gave a heavy nod, picked her way between dwarves, found a free space, and promptly collapsed to the ground.

She almost sat on Bofur. "Oof!" ...Okay, perhaps she did sit on Bofur.

The dwarf pushed her off with a weak groan of pain and curled up with his arms around his stomach. He may have called her a heavy lump, but Bella didn't hear: she drifted to sleep quicker than she ever had before, Bifur's chuckling reaching the back of her mind.

 

When Bella cracked her eyes open she was confronted with a dwarf sized empty space on the rock before her.

The sun was warm on her face, its height in the sky that of about midday, and from the way she had curled up with her back to Bofur's side she could feel the steady rise and fall of the dwarf's breathing. For once she was comfortable despite the hard ground. The snores of the company still echoed, she could pick out each dwarf from the noise, but along with the occasional calls of birds there was little else to be heard. She was still unbelievably exhausted, and she wondered what it was that had caused her to wake.

She sat up, ignoring her aches and pains. Everyone was asleep, even Gandalf...everyone expect Bifur who had left the place beside her empty. Bella frowned and got to her feet, wandering over to where the dwarf sat looking back towards the mountains. She settled herself down a little way away, feeling no need to announce her presence.

They gazed out in silence for some time, and Bella wondered what the dwarf was thinking about, and dearly wished she was able to ask. But she couldn't, and so she just sat there. Bifur turned to her after a while, reached out to take her hand and give it a pat, and with a nod towards where she had slept and some words unknown sent her back to her place on the rock.

She lay and thought, and thought some more, but soon drifted off again into a dreamless slumber.

Next she woke the space where Bifur had been was still empty, but there was a great deal more noise than when she had opened her eyes first, and Fili's hand still rested on her arm from him having shaken her awake.

"Wake up Mr Bilbo." He said. "And on your feet."

Bofur was just standing up behind her, Bombur rolling to his front and pushing himself to his knees in the corner of her vision, and she could hear that most everyone else was already awake and moving around. She allowed the blonde dwarf to pull her to her feet.

"Thank you."

"No problem Mr Bilbo." The young dwarf gave her a smile before striding off to try his luck at waking his brother.

Bella grimaced: everywhere was sore, and she did not think she had ever been so painfully hungry in all her life. It must have been mid afternoon. She had definitely never gone this long without food before, nor had she ever imagined she would in her worst dreams.

She looked around. Thorin was strapping his weapons into place, all the while talking to Dwalin about something or another, and Balin was tending to his beard -Oh yes, it had to be just so. Dori was attempting to fix Ori's hair, Oin and Gloin were simply taking their good time to rise, Fili was getting ready to kick Kili, Bifur- AHHH! Fili, you bastard-! He-! Did you see what he-! You saw what he did, didn't you Mr Bilbo? You saw-! -was staring again, but this time with Bombur and in the direction of Erebor and not the Misty Mountains.

Bella sighed and turned to Bofur. "Why am I even awake right now?"

The miner laughed at her irritation. "Because there is but a few hours of daylight remaining, and the way down from here is steep. Either we go now or we spend the night here."

Bella looked to the sky and answered. "I think I'd prefer to carrying on sleeping myself."

"Aye," Bofur nodded, "But there is no food to be found up here, not unless you have been holding out on us and hobbits can in fact eat solid rock..."

Bella snorted and assured him that they most definitely could not, and said that eating rocks sounded more like the sort of thing a dwarf would be capable of, not a hobbit, and that maybe he should attempt it himself so that they could determine whether or not it was possible.

Bofur said he'd sooner try to eat his hat.

Bella claimed that the rock would taste better.

The dwarf disagreed, and so the debate went on until it was decided that an outside party should bring it to a resolve.

"Hey, Nori! Come and lick Bofur's hat for me!"

Needless to say the dwarf refused, but came over anyway and put the argument to an end with a question of his own. "Did you see Gandalf go?"

Bella looked around in surprise. "He's gone?"

She had not noticed.

"Since I woke, at least." Nori said.

"I haven't seen him either." Bofur shook his head.

"But he only just returned to us!" Bella barely stopped herself from whining. "What is he thinking, leaving us so soon?"

"I doubt anyone could guess what goes on inside that wizard's mind, Mr Baggins." Balin joined them.

"But fear not, he is to return to us before the end of tomorrow. He said only to wait around here for him until then."

 

The company made their way down the steep steps that led to the ground below, and there they found light woods with trees unlike those that grew around the mountains and more like those found back in the Shire. A grassy slip of land ran between a parting in the trees on one side of the rock, leading to the low bed of a wide river with a shallow bank and edge paved with flat slabs of stone, and a middle that deepened into calm flowing waters.

Thorin was quick to send everyone out in search of whatever food they could find before it drew dark, and the dwarves scattered into the woods in small groups or even alone to look, for Thorin had been assured by Gandlaf before he had left to wherever that the area was safe, and that no orcs or goblins would dare come too near to these parts.

Most of the dwarves went into the woods to the right, so Bella decided she would go in the opposite direction, and wandered down to the river bank and along it in the direction it flowed, wondering where the water would eventually end up. After she had not gone very far she was called to wait and Kili caught up with her, and then the two of them carried on together.

They did not have much luck, partly because neither of them were too certain as to which of the plants they found were edible, for while some certainly looked similar to those they knew, they could not be certain.

They did find a rather suspicious looking mushroom of an odd shade of pink huddled at the base of a tree which they inspected curiously for some time, Kili poked it with a stick even, but rather wisely neither of them dared to touch it.

Bella had only but voiced her hope that the others were having more luck than they when something caught her eye and she scrambled onto a rock sticking out of the river bank to take a look.

The river had deepened as they had walked along, and so the waters at its edge were waist height at least. There in the cover of the deepened water swam slivery fish, beating their tails lazily against the current. They were large things, and Bella called Kili over quickly in excitement, which was soon echoed by the young dwarf on sight of what she had found.

Kili had managed to keep his bow and a few arrows though everything that had happened, and from the rock chose a target and gave aim. He took his time and all his concentration lining up the shot, but it all paid off when the arrow hit its mark.

"Yes!" He cried, passing her his bow before sliding down off the rock and into the river with a splash to retrieve the fish.

Bella hooked an arrow and wandered a bit down the river to where the fish had scattered after having been disturbed. Kili's bow was a bit different to her own had been, and the first shot she fired failed to hit anything, but the fish did not startle and she tried again, and again.

When Kili came up with his still flapping catch she set down his bow and arrows and got down into the river herself.

The water did in fact come up to her middle, and she took a deep breath before ducking under. She resurfaced with all three arrows in her fists.

"Show off!" Kili stuck out his tongue as she tossed two fish onto the bank and hauled herself out.

Bella made a face in return, which soon she could not prevent from turning into a grin mirrored by Kili as they stood there sopping wet and rather pleased at their accomplishment.

That was until the young dwarf's eyes widened and he pointed out with a cough and a wave at her wet clothes that the way her shirt stuck to her would surely raise some questions from others if they were to see. Bella cursed losing the buttons from her waistcoat that had before then hid her form, and informed Kili that he would be fetching the fish from then on.

They carried on down the bank in pursuit of the fish that were not it seemed clever enough to realise that the bank was not safe anymore, taking it in turns to shoot, and Bella trying to speed the drying of her shirt.

They continued in this way until they had enough fish for all the company and the sun was setting, and then began to head slowly back along the river. They carried the fish in Kili's coat, which he moaned would forever smell of fish, but agreed was the easiest way by which to transport their catch.

They took their time despite their hunger as Bella complained her shirt was still damp, laughing and joking and exceedingly proud of their success, and so it was almost dark by the time they reached the rock.

Everyone else was back, though rather miserable looking, and a fire had been set up for warmth, its orange glow creating a ring of light as embers drifted upwards and away into the air.

It seemed that none had been able to find much: Bella spied a couple of normal looking mushrooms, some berries and a pile of leaves that only Bifur appeared to have any appreciation for. Thorin paced as the others sat around the fire, no doubt they would have all gone out searching for them soon if they had not returned when they did.

"Kili! Mr Bilbo!" Fili cried when he caught sight of them approaching, and all heads turned. "Wherever have you been all this time!?"

Kili grinned. "Enjoying your elf-food brother?"

When it was discovered that they had food both Bella and Kili very quickly became the company favourites, and some of the dwarves were so enthusiastic in their celebration of having something to eat that eventually Thorin had to step in: Gloin almost tripped over Ori and caused Dwalin to accidently step in the fire and push Bofur into Nori who then fell onto Balin, and by that time Bella was just about turning blue due to Bombur hugging her so tightly for saving him from starving.

Things eventually settled down: they sat around the fire in a great circle, cooking their food on sticks and talking about things of little importance but of interest none the less, joking between themselves and singing drinking songs despite there being no drink but water to drink. Bella sat with Thorin, and they successfully held the longest and most civil conversation they had ever had. They spoke about the weather. No one wanted to think about the last few days, at least not yet, and so it was not brought up: for that moment everyone was content to act as if nothing had happened back in the mountains.

Oin checked everyone's injuries again before they settled down for the night, still not particularly happy with the amount of food in their stomachs, but not uncomfortably empty, and huddling close together for warmth around the fire.

Sleep came quickly for Bella despite the fact that she had only been awake half the day. She dreamed of Hobbiton, and the Shire: home. She dreamed of stubborn dwarves who were loud and dirty and had no table manners, and she dreamed that they were all there at Bag-End with her, destroying her cutlery and tramping mud into the carpets and oh, what would the neighbours say?! She dreamed, and she smiled.

 

Early the next morning Bella and Kili went out again to catch fish, and Fili went along with them too. They came back happy with what they had got just as Gloin restarted the dying fire.

The company had the day to relax while they waited for Gandalf, and knowing that many of the dwarves ran straight for the river to bathe and wash the filth from their clothes.

Bella was quick to turn her back when they began to strip off their clothes, and Bifur, seemingly affronted by his companions actions began to rush around in a flap attempting to get them to redress, much to their confusion.

She decided to take a walk in the woods in order to save them from the slightly mad dwarf's pestering, and for Kili's sake also for she knew he would not bathe with her around back turned or not.

"Mr Baggins!" She was stopped by Balin, the only one besides Kili, Nori and Ori who had not yet gone down to the river. "Give me your waistcoat and I'll transfer some buttons on to it from my tunic for you, I still have a needle handy."

Bella shrugged the battered material off and handed it over to the old dwarf, thanking him profusely, though he just waved her away.

She wandered through the woods for some time. Up until this day there had been none of the problems that she might have expected with being in a group of males, for dwarves were generally very private folk and they had rarely had opportunity for bathing anyway. She supposed she could not complain about disappearing off now for a few hours in all the months they had travelled together when they chose to change their habits for once, especially if they smelt better by the end of it.

When Bella thought she had walked a good way she changed direction so that she was heading towards the river, far upstream from where the dwarves were, and took the time to properly bath herself, and to redo the binding around her chest. Ouch! Sore, oh so sore... She scrubbed the mud out of her hair and wished for soap, let the dirt wash from her feet, and then stood and dried a while before grudgingly dressing again in filthy clothes.

She then began to head back down the bank to camp, believing that it would be safe to do so after so long.

Of course she would just have to be wrong on that.

It had been nearer to camp, but still a way off when she had been rudely interrupted from her musings about what Gandalf was up to, about the strange mushroom her and Kili had found, and about life in general, by being snuck up on, grabbed, and thrown into the water. -Thankfully far enough away from the others that no one but the culprit who had caused her to heard her scream before she found herself in the river.

She was quick to get her head above the admittedly rather shallow water and to find her feet to stand, spluttering and rubbing water from her eyes. She heard laughter.

She knew that laugh.

If she didn't know how her clothes were clinging to her at that very second she may well have laughed too.

"I'm going to kill you Bof-!"

She was cut off by a large splash when the dwarf jumped.

Bella clenched her fists and cursed her decision to walk back along the river and not through the woods. She opened her eyes to glare at the dwarf, keeping her gaze pointedly up, and waited for the miner to stop laughing.

There was no point in trying to get away from this she concluded, reasonably certain that if the three dwarves that already knew her secret had made the decision to keep quiet, then her closest friend amongst them all would too.

She had as a matter of fact been tempted to tell Bofur before, back in the mountains when she had said those horrible things and had wanted to go home, because the dwarf would listen and would not tell. The only reasons she hadn't were because there had never really been a good time to bring it up, and she would admit she had been worried that it would change their friendship: if the dwarf had always known she was a woman then he would most likely never have talked the way he did with her: no swearing and no rude jokes. He wouldn't let her sleep so close either for propriety's sake - it would have been all politeness and good manners like she was used to back home. She had had a life time full of that, a life where she was expected to wear pretty dresses and would get scandalised looks if she so much as cursed for stubbing her toe. She was sick of that. She didn't want to risk being treated like that.

But now she had no choice, she knew as Bofur's smile slid from his face, the dwarf obviously wondering why she didn't find the whole thing as funny as he did.

"What?" Bofur stared at her, his eyes not finding their way anywhere other than her face.

Bella gave a sigh that turned into a groan. Did she seriously have to spell it out for him? She pointedly let her eyes flick down to the dwarf's chest -most definitely not taking the opportunity to admire dwarvish muscle- and back up, hoping he'd get the hint and notice her form and that she would not have to say outright that she was most definitely not Mr Bilbo Baggins.

The dwarf only frowned in confusion.

"Goodness, Bofur!" She gestured at her wet clothes. She had not thought he could be so dense!

The dwarf finally played along and looked down. It took a few seconds for his face to go blank.

He swore, blinked, and swore again.

"Well I'll be..." He shook his head and swallowed. "That would explain a few things."

Bella snorted, but at what she did not quite know.

"...What's yer name?"

For some reason that question caught her off guard.

"My name?"

"It's not Bilbo, is it?"

Oh Bofur. Sweet sweet Bofur. He found out she had been keeping such a thing secret from him for months, hidding who she was from everyone, and the first thing he did was to ask her name?

"Bella."

He smiled.

"Nice name-" And at that moment seemed to remember his state of undress, went a rather impressive shade of red, choked on his words and ducked under the water.

It was Bella's turn to laugh as she turned and pulled herself out of the river and onto the bank.

She was still laughing when Bofur resurfaced, but stopped when the dwarf looked about to duck back under again. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to drown meself." He muttered, still red with embarrassment.

Bella laughed again. "Oh please don't."

She asked him to say nothing to anyone else, told him her reasons and who else knew, and was pleased but unsurprised when he promised not a word would be heard from him.

"I'll be back later." She told him and made to leave, heading away from camp.

"Where ye going?"

"I'm going to hide in the woods until my clothes dry." She called back.

And that sounded so downright silly that they both had to laugh at it all.

 

It was late afternoon when Bella got back, perfectly in time as it happened, for Kili and Fili had just caught dinner.

The company sat around the fire again as it drew dark and another day came to a close, and they made for a loud gathering, louder than they had been perhaps the night they visited Bag-End. Bella sat grinning as she listened to Dwalin's stories with Ori, Dori and Bofur -who to her relief acted little differently from normal, though she could not follow all of what the warrior said over the noise made by the others. At some point Gloin, Fili and Kili started up singing, and she and Ori were pulled into some mad dance that left her breathless and dizzy by the end.

She staggered slightly when Fili finally let her go and went to pester Bombur into something or other. She looked to Dwalin and Bofur to find Dori had wandered off and Nori had taken his place: all three dwarves laughed outrageously at her misfortune. Bella gave a huff and turned away, which only made them worse.

She went and sat with Thorin, and when she found that he too had thought her plight rather amusing decided to compliment him by informing him that he didn't smell half so bad as normal. To that he answered in turn with what could have been a grin that he noticed her waistcoat had acquired new buttons, and that they were rather nice. They weren't of course. Rather the opposite: for all Balin's sentiment and needle work they looked quite frankly ridiculous.

Bella was just thinking of a good reply when Bifur interrupted by walking over and presenting her with a glow worm with such seriousness that she didn't dare put it down. They sat in silence after that.

Bella thought about what a strange group of people she had ended up with, and wondered absently as the brightly lit insect crawled slowly over her hands whether all dwarves were so utterly odd and individual, or whether she had just got lucky in finding the company of Thorin Oakenshield.

What Thorin thought about no one could know.

They were both startled out of their minds when a tall form came out of the bushes behind them though, and Kili and Fili stopped their jumping around by the fire to call happily over.

"Gandalf!"


	28. Chapter 28

"I always meant to see you safely over the mountains." They sat gathered around the fire as Gandalf spoke. "For all that came of that."

"But now I have things to be attending to." A strangled sound escaped Bella's throat, and looking round none of the dwarves seemed too pleased at Gandalf's announcement.

"Oh! Don't make those faces! I'll not be disappearing quite yet, no, I plan on giving you a helping hand first at least."

The wizard observed them all and took his pipe out of his pocket to light. "You need supplies, desperately so. Food, blankets, new clothes desirably too."

He got nods of agreement.

"Now, there aren't many people living in these parts, that is unless any have moved here since I last passed through. But there is one I know..."

 

The next morning the company was up at dawn. They had nothing to pack and decided to forgo breakfast in favour of reaching their destination as quickly as possible, and so were more or less straight on their way.

There was a chill to the early hour, the sun not yet having gained any reasonable height in the sky to warm the air, but the day held promise to be a good warm one and there was not a rain cloud in sight.

Gandalf led them forward with long definite strides that had some of the unprepared jogging to catch up. He led them right for the river, and when he reached the river he simply balanced his staff over one shoulder and waded straight in.

The company exchanged looks and followed. Bella thanked Valar for Balin's buttons. Balin grumbled that his beard would get wet.

At about halfway over the water was up to Bella's shoulders, and it was also around that time when she put one foot in front of the other to find a dip in the river bed had made for a sudden increase in depth on the path she was taking, and disappeared under the water completely.

Thorin pulled her back out. "Trying to escape us, Mr Baggins?"

Bella clung to him and glared through her coughing and spluttering and told him yes, yes she was.

A flicker of a grin passed over his face.

"You can't swim."

"I can. I just don't." She argued, but caved under a look. "...I am rather poor at it."

He shook his head disbelievingly.

"Better hold on, hobbit, lest you get yourself into anymore trouble."

She huffed, glared at Thorin, glared at the water in front of her, and gave in. She clung on tighter to the dwarf. "Just get me to dry land where I belong."

He chuckled this time, and waded forwards with her clinging to his back. Bella wound her arms around his neck and resisted the urge to hide her red face in the dwarf's hair. She had not been carried since she was a child, she felt awfully silly.

"You know," She finally said, "For all you complain you always do a very good job of saving me."

He gave a grunt which she took as acknowledgement.

She did not speak for a moment, then voiced a quiet "...Thank you."

The water drew shallower again, but the dwarf slipped his arms under her legs and carried on instead of setting her down. "You are a member of this company, no matter what I may have let myself say. I would ask that you forget my words if you can find it in yourself to do so, for I admit they were spoken for worry for your safety, and for everyone else's."

They got to dry land. "Besides, you have more than repaid any debt you owed. I would have lost my life two days ago, and how close it was with trolls cannot be forgotten. No need for thanks, Mr Baggins."

Bella smiled as he let her drop to the ground. "Bilbo."

"Then it is Thorin to you."

The dwarves congregated wet and bedraggled, hair and beards sopping. They all looked a mess, all apart from Dori of course who appeared as proper as ever despite his boots squelching with every step he took. Dori could pull off anything: it was as if the soaking wet look was the look he had been going for.

Dwalin had walked across th river with Ori's book held above his head and with a hand ready to grab his brother if he disappeared like Bella had done, not that the old dwarf had noticed – he was too busy scowling over his beard.

Fili and Kili shook themselves like dogs, earning curses from Oin and Gloin, and Bofur was laughing as he always was. The miner had apparently decided he would like to be carried too, and had held on to his brother until Bombur had tired of his sibling's antics and had thrown him off.

Bifur looked to the skies, seemingly asking whoever was up there to listen why he had been landed with a group of lunatics.

Nori had already gone off after Gandalf, who had not it seemed seen cause to stop. The wizard really must have places he'd rather be, thought Bella as she gave a nod to Thorin and went to catch up with the tall old man herself, intent on asking him just where he planned on going off to once he'd shown them on their way.

"Gandalf!" She passed Nori and fell into a brisk walk beside the wizard. "You set a fast pace!"

The wizard made a noise of acknowledgement, though did not turn his gaze. "I hope to have everything settled and to be on my way before the day is out, or at least by first light tomorrow."

Bella almost tripped over a rock. "And where may your way lead?"

"Onwards. And not likely to anywhere pleasant."

The wizard spoke with finality and that was that, she got no more out of him on that subject.

"Is it far? To the home of the person you were telling us about?"

"Hmmm..." Gandalf looked to the sky. "Half a day or less."

Bella fell back to walk with Nori with the wizard not being in mind to talk, and grumbled to the dwarf about needing food to live.

The land on this side of the river was populated with lines of oak and elm on either side of the grass land much like the other side was, but ground was less rocky and the grasses grew taller as they travelled on. They tickled Bella's legs awfully, so she complained to Nori about that too. He just laughed and told her about a place he'd once been where the grass was so tall that you could not see over its top, and about how people could get lost in it and wander around for hours trying to find their way out. Bella imagined this was very possible, recalling the time she herself as a young hobbit found herself stuck in farmer Maggot's corn field: no matter how straight she had attempted to walk in one direction she had never seemed to happen upon its edge.

They were heading to the house of a man named Beorn, a skin-changer Gandalf called him, for according to his word the man could change his skin at will.

Sometimes he was a man, and lived in a wooden house in an oak-wood, sometimes he roamed far and wide in the form of a huge black bear, as real as any you would meet in all but mind. And indeed, the wizard had told them last night when Bella had, wide eyed, inquired further, no one knew for sure in which form he had been born. Some people said that he was a bear descended from the ancient great bears that lived in the mountains before the giants came there. Others said he was a man who's forefathers were among the first men and lived in this part of the world even before dragons were seen in these skies and before the goblins came from the north.

He was a kind enough soul for the most part, but possessed a quick temper that you did not want to bring out. They would have to watch themselves.

In all truth Bella was rather sceptical about meeting Beorn: she would admit to herself if no one else that what she had been told about him scared her. She imagined him as a giant Dwalin, but even thicker armed and three times the height with a beard twice as bushy. She had told Bofur this as they settled down to sleep last night. He had chuckled and dared a look over at the warrior, but Bella knew he too was not at ease with the idea of going to such a dangerous sounding man for aid.

The sun rose and the day grew hot, and for many hours Gandalf led on allowing little time for rest. He marched them up hill and down dale, and despite their previous days rest the journey was tiring in the heat and slowly everyone began to lag behind.

It was just after lunchtime, or there abouts, that they noticed the great patches of flowers that had begun to appear: all the same types and colours growing together as if planted, and oh! The bees! Huge things they were, bigger than hornets, bigger even than your thumb! They flew about buzzing and humming in a lazy sort of way, heavy and weighed down with their loads of pollen and lulled by the midday heat.

"Bee-pastures." Gandalf could be heard muttering to himself ahead.

Bella did her best to duck around them, and couldn't hold a squeak when one got way too close to her face for comfort. She was a hobbit: she was used to bees, but these were four times larger at least than any she had seen before, and she had no doubt the sting one could give would be nothing to laugh at. She watched her step.

At some point along the way Gloin let out a rather undwarvish scream and began a frantic little dance that involved much shaking of his head and shouting of 'get it off, get it off!', but a mere glance back at a laughing Fili and Kili confirmed in Bella's mind that there was nothing to help with the getting off of.

It was only a short while after this that they came to a belt of tall oaks backed by high thorn-hedges, and Gandalf suddenly stopped and turned.

"Here we are."

He regarded them as they gathered, sweaty and red faced in their half destroyed clothes, and the weapons they dragged with them all that they carried.

"Perhaps...yes. Perhaps that would be best." The wizard seemed to come to a decision in his mind before addressing them.

"This is where our -with any luck- host lives. There is a gate down there." He motioned along the hedge. "We shall go to meet him in small groups I think -pairs will do, a few minutes in between. He could easily send such a big group away, so best to take things slow."

There was silence. No one had anything to say to that. Gandalf knew what was best here.

"Come, and keep quiet unless spoken to, let me do the talking, we can't have this messed up. With me Bilbo!"

Bella jumped slightly and rushed after the wizard with no small amount of fear in her heart as he set off again. Why her? Surely she could tag along later? Perhaps hidden behind Bombur?

"Oh, and leave ten minutes at least before starting to appear. There are things I must discuss with Beorn before hand." Gandalf called over his shoulder.

Bella sent a look back, but then they rounded a bend in the hedge and the company disappeared from sight.

She sighed and let her shoulders slump.

"...How are you faring, my dear girl?"

Bella almost didn't realise she was being spoken to.

"Oh! Fine- good, great, I suppose, all things considering-."

The wizard hummed and nodded thoughtfully before laughing.

Bella frowned. "Sorry?"

"Oh, don't mind me, Miss Baggins. I was only thinking. You know, hobbits never cease to amaze me: you can learn all about their ways in a month, and yet even after a hundred years they can still surprise you. And here I thought Belladonna Took was the most strong hearted hobbit I would ever meet. I from the start believed that you had a lot more to give than any of the others knew, but I now have a feeling you will prove more important on this quest than even I had guessed."

They came upon the wooden gate and the old man held it open, still chuckling to himself.

"Hobbits...quite remarkable."


	29. Chapter 29

Past the gate were gardens with row upon row of buzzing hives and a spread of low wooden buildings: a wide track led to what must be the house, but there were also barns, stables and sheds.

Bella made her way with Gandalf along the trail, but before they had gotten very far their presence came under investigation.

They had called the attention of a number of sleek beautiful horses with glistening coats and long manes and tails. The animals trotted up the grass to meet them, stopping for a while a distance away to watch their advance intently with intelligent stares and curious eyes before disappearing off again in the direction of the house.

"They have gone to tell their master of out arrival." Gandalf nodded after them as they went out of sight.

As they drew nearer to the building Bella found herself edging yet ever closer to the wizard, and by the time they rounded the corner of the house and set eyes on the great giant of a man that was the skin-changer she was all but hiding behind his robes.

She had been right in some respects as to Beorn's appearance: he did indeed have a thick black beard (and even thicker hair), and he was extremely strong looking, but he was even taller than she had imagined.

He stared at them for a minute, the horses that they had seen before milling around behind his back as he leant on the giant axe he been using to chop wood before their appearance, then he gave a laugh.

"They don't look dangerous." He spoke to the horses while making a shooing motion. "Be off with ye!"

The animals heeded his words.

"So, what do we have here? Who are you?" He raised a bushy eyebrow at them.

Gandalf gave a slight cough and stepped forward. "I am Gandalf..."

From the expression on the large man's face the name meant nothing to him.

"...and I am a wizard. Even if you have not heard of me, you will know of my good cousin Radagast who lives on the southern border of Mirkwood I expect...?"

Beorn grunted in admission. "And who is this?"

He looked straight at Bella.

"This is Mr Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit of the Shire-" Gandalf was interrupted by a snort.

"Do you take me for a fool? I know a lass when I see one!" Beorn all but growled at the wizard.

"No, not at all, I assure you. Indeed Mr Baggins is a woman, and Miss Bella Baggins is her given name, but we address her Mr Baggins nonetheless."

"We? There are more of you. And I don't see why you should."

It was then Bella gathered her courage and spoke up, if a little shakily. "Yes in truth we are more than two. We travelled from the Blue Mountains and the Shire to get here, and we still have a way to go from here on before our journey ends. We come to ask you for aid in the hopes that you will help us."

She looked at Gandalf and the smile she found on his face brought her new confidence. She raised her head ever so slightly.

"I would have you call me Mr Baggins if you will, for not all of our company are as insightful as you. Many still believe I am male, even after mouths of travel together, and I'd rather you did not spoil my fun. Their cluelessness is quite a source amusement at times."

To her relief Beorn gave a chuckle.

"Do not worry yourself little one, I can apprecaite a good joke, of that you can be certain." His face then turned serious again. "So you come here for aid...tell me, why should I give it to you?"

"Our path led us over the mountains, and it was there that things went wrong for us-" Bella resisted the urged to make a noise at Gandalf's words. The trolls? Wargs and orcs chasing them across the planes? Gloin's two-hundredth retelling of the day his son spoke his first word? Oh no, things went wrong long before the mountains. "We were attacked by goblins in the dead of night in the pass. They took our food, our supplies, and nearly our lives too. We escaped, but without help I fear our quest may end here."

It was then Bella could tell Beorn's interest was caught.

He had made a face upon hearing of goblins, for he hated them with a passion, his expression had come across less gruff at hearing of their plight, but it was the wizards last words that had him asking: "Quest? To where are you heading and with what purpose? What drove you to cross the mountains, and what of the rest of you?"

"The others are around...I did not like to bother you with all of us in case you were busy. As to our quest -oh, well, that is a long story, and quite a fascinating one if I do say so myself. To tell all the whys and the whats would take some time..."

"Well then! Do come and sit and tell me it!" He waved them towards the house. "I have the time and would not be adverse to hearing it. Who knows, if it is any good I well might let you stay! Oh, and let your friends come!"

And so it was that Bella found herself perched on a wooden bench on the veranda and looking at all the foreign flowers that grew in the gardens as Gandalf spun his tale.

He told Beorn of their travel through the mountains and their fight to get out of goblin town, which was a point of interest to Bella with her having not heard of exactly how the dwarves had escaped. The wizard also recounted to him their run in with Azog and how they had been chased up into the trees and suffered quite a beating up until the eagles had come to bear them away. He included her stand down with the pale orc too, though Bella believed he exaggerated what she had done, and did not enjoyed the raised eyebrow and speculative stare that the bear man gave her upon hearing of it.

During it all the dwarves found their way to them. They came and bowed and offered greeting, and though Bella got the first impression that Beorn was not much fond of dwarves he waved them down to sit every time, and with each interruption of Gandalf's story she noted that he only got more eager to hear more of their journey. This, Bella supposed, was just another part of the wizard's plan.

Thorin came first with Balin and they had taken their seats next to her, and then Oin and Gloin had arrived, and Fili and Kili. By the time Bombur had come puffing down the track behind Bofur and Bifur Gandalf had near finished telling the man of how they had been dropped off at the carrock (for that was what Beorn called the great rock that the eagles had set them down on), and how they had then found their way to his house.

The wizard had told Beorn of their heading to the Lonely Mountain, and about Smaug the dragon, he even asked Thorin to show the man the map and key too, for it would increase the credibility of their tale. There was no need to worry over secrecy: Beorn had no reason to tell anyone, and he would not. Thorin gave it up rather easily: it only took one subtle kick from Bella before he stood and dug into his pockets with almost unnoticeable hesitation.

Overall the whole thing took near an hour, but that was all quickly forgotten when Beorn rose after a final look at them all and offered them food.

"As is deserved from such a good story at least. I may need to check some facts for myself before I fully believe it, but I like it, and should like it all the more if it is true."

 

They ate in the hall around a table much too big for Bella and the dwarves: they could barely see over its top and the log seats were so high that for many of them their feet did not touch the floor. The dwarves bore it with a silent annoyance, their faces were pictures that was for sure, and if their host had been anyone else they would have well made a fuss.

It was to their great amazement then that Beorn clapped his hands and animals came to his call: ponies, sheep and large dogs -the man spoke words to them in a strange language, and they disappeared into other parts of the house only to return minutes later carrying trays of food on their backs. The company could only stare.

Still, despite the oddities of the whole situation they ate better than they had since they had left the Last Homely House without so much as a goodbye to Lord Elrond.

Beorn told them tales of Mirkwood in his deep rolling voice, and Gandalf also told some of his own. They went on for some time. None of the rest of the company was much in the mood for stories, and they quickly bored. After Bella had eaten her fill she found herself watching the way the smoke from the fire burning in the middle of the room curled as it rose up to the rafters to find the way out through the opening in the roof, every so often drawing her gaze away to throw looks at Fili and Kili when they began to fidget a little too much, and once to grapple a butter knife out of Nori's hand when he began to stab at the side of the table with it. Ori had his book on his lap, Dori a look of polite interest on his face as he gazed over at Gandalf, not having realised that the wizard had stopped talking and Beorn was now taking his turn. Dwalin held signed conversations with Thorin, Bofur made faces at her from across the table.

Eventually Gandalf got around to telling Beorn of his need to be off. The skin-changer readily offered a horse for the wizard to ride, properly won over by this point. Given how much he seemed to love his animals Bella concluded that he would give few such a privilege.

Gandalf rode away not an hour later, seen off by Beorn and the company. He bid them goodbye and gave them word to keep to the path when they reached Mirkwood and to heed Beorn's words wisely. Bella had not wanted the wizard to go, what if Beorn turned on them? What if they ran into trouble while travelling like they had in the mountains? But the old man had simply told her not fret, Beorn would do no such thing, he had said they could stay, and anyway, he seemed to have taken a small shine to her from what the wizard could tell. And he was quite certain that they would run into trouble at some point, though he trusted her to get them all out of it somehow.

It was not long after Gandalf went that Beorn headed out too. "Eat what you want, I'm sure you'll learn your ways around. Only stay within the grounds, for your own safety, especially at night."

 

Bella spent what was left of the afternoon exploring the house and the gardens. She and Bombur quickly discovered the location of the kitchen.

She wandered the flower beds with Bifur for rather a long while, wondering what many of the blooms could be called, for she did not recognise half of them. They were joined by Ori at some point, though soon after the light of day began to fade and they headed back inside.

The dwarves gathered around the fire, sang a bit and smoked the pipe weed that Beorn had let them have.

The night grew dark but the fire kept the whole hall warm. Mattresses and woollen blankets had been laid out at the side of the hall on a sort of raised platform between the pillars and the outer wall, and after a while Bella left the circle to claim a spot. She buried herself in the blankets, and soon began to nod off to the low dwarvish singing and the thick calming smell of the smoke.

About an hour later she awoke when one of the dwarves fell over her. It was Bofur, and he was grumbling about it. He made no attempt to move from where he had fallen face first, and she put little effort into pushing his feet off her stomach. She guessed it was payback for the time she had sat on him. They both quickly fell asleep.

The next morning one word drew Bella out of her slumber. She was up like a shot.

"Breakfast?"


	30. Chapter 30

"Do you think they realise how utterly ridiculous they seem?"

Bella cracked open an eye lazily to follow Ori's gaze.

"I'd say not."

Fili and Kili were trying to communicate with the animals.

If anyone was to ask Bella whose horses knew exactly what the brothers had been trying to get across to start with, but were rather enjoying watching the young dwarves' extravagant gestures and the strange noises they made.

All the animals here held some higher intelligence than most, or at least a better understanding of the two-legged kind. They wandered here and there about the house and grounds and attended to the company when they were needed. Of their master though no one had had neither sight nor sound of since he disappeared the night before.

In the beginning none of the company knew quite what to do with their time, they were so used to the travel, but after a while they found things to do.

Many of them spent a while sharpening their weapons, and Ori and Bella had found a nice warm spot in the sun in the gardens. There they got to work on recording the past few days for Ori's book.

It took a while to get the stuff that happened in goblin town and the fight with the orcs all sorted due to the confusion of all that had occurred, and so that was what most of their time was spent on. The young scribe asked her what had happened to her when they had been taken away to the goblin king, but Bella, deciding to save the tale for another time, would say nothing but 'I found my way out', which was self-evident.

She left most of the work to Ori, but sketched Beorn's house and some flowers, and would offer a line or two every so often, though she wasn't in the most helpful of minds,"And it was then that Thorin Oakenshield managed for once not to be a complete bastard." 

Bella lay back and did her best to soak up the sun. Summer was passing quickly into autumn, soon the leaves would begin to change and the days cool. Best make the most of what she could get.

Of course with the company being at rest like they were there was plenty of time for getting into the disagreements that previous circumstances while travelling on the road had called to be pushed aside. Several smalls incidents occurred, and they came about rather quickly, in a way they were bound to.

Oin and Gloin got into a spat about something or other that first morning at Beorn's at breakfast, though no one knew quite over what, and they stayed pointedly away from one another for the rest of the day.

Bella was the one to bear Oin's grumbling at dinner. She listened to him for a minute and made no sense of what the problem between he and his brother was, concluded that it was nothing so big as to worry over, and changed the subject with near to no subtly whatsoever.

"I have known you a medic for some months, master dwarf, as well as a master of many trades, yet I have never once inquired further. Do tell me about your work in Ered Luin." For all the time they had travelled together Bella knew embarrassingly little of Oin. The dwarf came across rather stern and serious at first, he wasn't really the smiley type. He did not jump at the chance to talk like his brother did, and he did not speak much of his life in everyday conversation, he was one of the more private of the company.

The dwarf gave one last mutter before he began to talk, but as the evening went on forgot all about his ill mood, and quite happily talked to her about this and that and revealed to her more of himself than Bella had gleamed altogether since they had met in the Shire.

Oin and Gloin's disagreement was not the only one to happen that day. Also on that morning something of Dwalin's went missing and he and a number of others looked straight to Nori.

The dwarf's face had gone from a look of shock to pale to red with anger, and in a matter of seconds he had disappeared from the hall. Nobody saw him for some time and he missed lunch. Then the missing object turned up, and it turned out he hadn't taken anything afterall. Ori, and even Dori after a few hours began to throw worried looks around, and in the end Bofur and Bella went out to look for the dwarf.

They found him up a tree in the wood and he didn't seem very inclined to come down, and if he said he wasn't hungry then why couldn't they just take his word for it and leave him in peace? In the end Bofur rolled up his sleeves and climbed the up tree himself to try and convince him to return with them. That ended up with Nori screaming down that he was not a child to be retrieved.

He was a better climber than Bofur, and easily avoided him, but eventually came down when he realised they were not going to leave him be, and the whole incident soon blew over.

Less importantly Fili had stolen food from Ori's plate at lunch, and Ori had thrown a piece of honey toast at Fili while Dori wasn't looking.

They passed the time after dinner playing with the dice that Bofur had spent most of his day while not up a tree carving. Nori taught them how to cheat.

It took some skill to do what the dwarf could do and so they were all soon fumbling about and cursing their failures. It became a game where cheating was not called out on, rather applauded if it was done successfully. Dori disapproved, then he tried what they were trying and got it straight away and didn't disapprove so much.

The dwarf proceeded to give Nori a run for his wood-chip-money-substitute, for a while seeming to forget his on going quarrel with his younger brother. Even Bombur with all of his luck with the roll lost to him. Many of the company were thrown into a state of slight shock when Dori finally beat his brother, and watched wide eyed as he stood, laughed, and clapped Nori on the back before depositing his winnings in the fire and announcing that he was off to bed now.

Most of them blinked a few times before shrugging and deciding to follow suit.

"What just happened?" Bofur whispered Nori as he dropped down with the two of them.

"I do not know..." He shook his head then pulled a face. "I think he smiled at me."

"Maybe there's something in the food." Bella piped up to muse.

They all took a moments silence to consider this.

"By Aule..." The three of them exchanged looks. "There must be!"

 

That night Bella dreamed a shadowy dream. She found herself stuck in a grey world full of silence and dark forms.

She tried to look for something light in the dark, something that she knew and recognised, but when she searched she found nothing. She attempted to speak, to make a noise, but could not hear the sound of her voice. She felt no fear, only discomfort, unease, and a will to leave the strange place.

When Bella woke she found herself covered in a cold sweat. She had thrown off her covers in her sleep, though plainly had not disturbed any one else.

Her hand clenched around the fabric of her waistcoat pocket. That was odd.

Bella lay awake for a few minutes as her mind calmed before her eyes caught the smoke drifting past the open door. She sat and watched for a moment, then got to her feet and snagged up her waistcoat.

It was a mild night and the air was still, it was quiet save the muffled snores of the company. She found Thorin sitting on the veranda smoking and looking out over the grounds. It took a while for him to notice her presence.

"Mr Baggins." He titled his head in acknowledgement.

"Mr Oakenshield." Bella snorted.

"Ah-" He soon corrected himself as she walked over and dropped heavily onto the bench beside him. "Bilbo."

"Thorin."

Bella accepted the offered pipe and took a draw, fighting the urge to choke on Beorn's pipe weed. Thorin watched her pull a face in amusement. "It's rather different isn't it?"

Bella nodded. Different was a suitable word for it, it was nothing like the stuff hobbits smoked. She took another draw and returned the pipe. She wasn't one to smoke much if at all, most female hobbits didn't.

"Where do your thoughts lead you?" She spoke after a while of staring out into the gardens.

Thorin turned to send her a questioning look and she went on. "Before you saw me and just now you were thinking. It is important to you I can tell, with such an expression on your face it could hardly be something light in nature. It weighs down on your bearing."

The dwarf hummed in concession, but took so long to answer that Bella had began to think he wouldn't.

"My mind sets itself on my father, and I wonder over whether the pale orc's words were true."

Bella blinked and faced the dwarf.

"I understood nothing of what Azog said." She admitted.

Thorin was staring out again. "He claimed that he could smell our fear...that my father had smelt the same."

Bella held a gasp. Did that mean...?

"You can have no doubt of what he would have me believe: that my father met his end at his hand."

"But-" In that moment the dwarf looked so defeated, and it scared Bella because that was not how Thorin Oakenshield was meant to look. Thorin Oakenshield didn't show weakness. The two of them had come a long way in the last few days as far as not wanting to throw things at each other went, saving each other's lives apparently helped a lot with that, but still they tread carefully around each other. It spoke of how deeply this matter struck that he let her see him such. "But maybe it is not the way it seems, maybe...maybe he still lives."

"It is possible, that is truth." Thorin shook his head. "But I do not dare to hope. And if he is not dead, what will I find? I was not blind to the madness's that took both my father and my grandfather's minds before the end, different madness's though they may have been. If one day he is discovered, what of him will be left? No Bilbo, I have long known it in my heart that my father is gone, I just never let it settle in my head...it is doing so now."

All Bella could meet that with was silence. She had lost her own father, and so the pain the dwarf must feel she could guess at, and though her own had not fallen ill in the mind he had done in the heart and she had felt herself struggling to hold on to the person he was as his time in the world began to draw to a close. She had watched him fade away, though unlike Thorin she had at least been with him in the end and did not have to wonder what had befallen him. She imagined not knowing to be the greatest torment there could be, always wondering...

Neither of them spoke again that night, though they sat there for many an hour.

At some point Bella closed her tired eyes to blink and opened them again to realise that quite a bit of time had passed since she had closed them and that she had in fact fallen asleep for a time. During her sleep it appeared Thorin had drifted off as well, and they had managed to end up leaning against one another.

She looked up blearily at the sleeping dwarf, and the thought ran through the back of her slowed mind that she should wake him up so that he didn't sleep outside all night, or that she should at least move so that they weren't so close, but then she quickly lost the thought and closed her eyes again.

They were awakened rather suddenly by Beorn himself the next morning.

"So here you all are still!" They both sprang apart and quickly got to their feet as the giant man walked past them into the hall. "Not eaten up by wargs or goblins yet I see!"

The bear man was in a good mood at breakfast, and it persisted on through the rest of the day. He had been to the mountains, and what he had found there seemed to have given him cause enough to believe their story.

He had seen the mess they had made during their fight with Azog at least, and had run into a lone warg and its orc rider in the woods. The information he got out of the creature had him laughing and shaking his head in joyed disbelief.

"Killed the goblin King, why I never! ...I think I could come to like you lot. You're not that bad as far as dwarves go."

And so he had verified their tale and acquired a new orc head on his journey which he stuck on the gate, and a warg pelt which he nailed to a tree beside.

Bella took the opportunity of having their host around to ask about all the different types of flowers in the gardens during breakfast, and then to follow him on his rounds about the stables and bee hives, trotting along behind the giant man and asking him whatever she wished as his good humour held.

Maybe Gandalf had been right about Beorn taking a liking to her, for he did not seem to mind her tagging along, and even appeared to enjoy listening to her chatter and answering her questions.

 

That afternoon Bella pulled Kili along with her to walk the hedge that enclosed the grounds, though they never got all the way around and ended up finding a rather nice clearing between some trees and lying in the sun.

Bella enjoyed this. She could sprawl out on the ground in the most unlady like manner and no one would bat an eye, not even those who knew who she really was did because they had never seen her act any differently. It wasn't usual because on this journey, day and night, despite them knowing in their minds otherwise, she was Mr Baggins.

"You know," Kili's musing seemed to follow her thoughts, "Most of the time I forget. I forget you're not a boy and that your name isn't Bilbo. I always think of you as Bilbo."

"Hmm." Bella opened her eyes. "I used to think of me as Bilbo too."

The young dwarf turned his head to throw her a questioning glance.

"Did you ever have someone as a child, someone you would pretend to be?"

Kili nodded. "Yes. Yes, of course. A dwarf from a story I was told when I was small. He travelled across the land saving and helping people wherever he went, he never lost a fight -at least, he always won in the end, and in every town he visited all would come to remember who he was. They would never forget him after he passed through, even though no one ever knew where he came from, who he was born, or what his past had held...even though he never so much as gave anyone his name."

"Whenever someone asked he would simply reply 'one you should never have crossed', or 'a friend that before you did not know', and then he would disappear off with nothing but that which he always carried in his many pockets, and never quite sure where his road would lead, only that it would take him to where he needed to be." The young dwarf made a waving motion in the air with one hand.

"Well," Bella spoke. "I was Bilbo, Bilbo the Great: the finest explorer there ever was to come out of the Shire. I went around fighting monsters, discovering things and saving people. And of course I spent a lot of my time searching the woods - I was convinced there were elves there."

They remained quiet for a minute, then Kili interrupted the silence to say, "I still pretend in my head I'm him sometimes. I think to myself in those same terrible rhymes as the stories were told in."

Bella laughed. "I took the game to new heights, that's for sure. I never grew out of it like other little hobbits would, and of course their chosen characters weren't quite so startling. And look at me here now, still playing along."

She laughed again but Kili shook his head. "It's not the same."

"It's not pretending to be someone who doesn't exist. Yours isn't in the pages of a book like mine is...at least not yet."

Bella did not know what to say to that, and had to spend some time thinking the young dwarf's words over in her head.

"Kill any dragons?" His voice piped up once more to draw her from her thoughts.

"Oh, lots. More than Gandalf appears to have done certainly."

They talked and laughed, Kili spent a while trying to walk on his hands and they laughed some more, whiling away more than half the afternoon until they were finally found by another.

"Brother."

Kili turned his head back to find Fili staring down at him, arms crossed.

"Yes?"

Fili had been throwing his brother increasingly irritated looks over the last few days. Well, he had been since Rivendell, but now he seemed to be reaching breaking point. It appeared that no matter how well Kili kept a secret Fili would always know that something was amiss.

He knew very well his brother knew something he didn't, and while before he had been simply waiting for Kili to tell he could now see that the younger had no intention of doing so. Fili had no idea of what it could be that his brother was keeping quiet about, and at the beginning he had been both curious and amused at his brother's persistence, but now he had had enough and just wanted to know.

Bella had been expecting a confrontation and watched through half closed eyes.

"Come on, spill it." Fili huffed.

"Spill what?"

"Whatever you're hiding."

"Hiding?" Kili blinked innocently up at his brother and received a snort for his efforts. "I'm hiding nothing-"

"-And last time you said that you had half of uncle's hair beads stuffed in your boots. Give it up." Fili rolled his eyes.

"There's nothing to give up." The young dwarf insisted, rather impressively not giving so much as a glance in her direction.

He held his brothers eye. The two of them kept up their staring contest for quite some time, and even though the corners of Kili's mouth began to twitch as he fought back a tell tale grin that would completely ruin everything he remained otherwise unmoving. Eventually someone had to break.

"You can tell him."

Kili's head snapped towards her as he gave a surprised gasp. "What, really?"

"If you think he can keep his mouth shut about it."

The young dwarf looked between her and his brother and the silly grin spread over his face. Fili's expression of impatience grew.

"So you know what this is all about Mr Bilbo?"

Bella nodded but had no intention of speaking and robbing Kili of his fun. He enjoyed this secret business, and it was rather amusing to watch. She wondered for a moment whether Kili would refuse to tell for a while to see his brother get worked up about it, and for a second she almost thought he would, but then it seemed his nature to not be able to hold on to anything for long won over.

The young dwarf leaped to his feet and grabbed his brother by the shoulders and shook him. "You heard Bilbo, you have to promise not to tell!"

"What!?"

"Swear it!"

Fili tried his best to escape his brother's hold. "I can't very well swear on something when I don't know what it is I'm swearing not to speak of!"

"Swear!"

"Who did you kill!?"

"Swear on your hair!"

"Fine!" Fili managed to pull free. "Fine, I swear!"

Kili dropped back down to the ground and grinned even wider.

"Go on then! I swore! Now tell me!"

It was Fili's eventually growl of 'stop being so immature, you idiot!' that Kili finally burst out in all but a yell, "Mr Bilbo is a girl!"

Bella sat up at that, both on a late reaction to check nobody else had been around to hear (Really, had that needed to be quite so loud? If others heard she would hold the youngest Durin heir to blame.), and of course to properly view Fili's reaction.

His face was a picture that was for sure.

Bella watched as the dwarf's face flashed through a number of different expressions before finally settling on disbelief. He laughed, obviously thinking the whole thing a joke. Then he looked between her and Kili and saw that apart from Kili's occasional giggles neither of them were laughing with him and realised that it wasn't.

"Yeah," Kili laughed. "Now you see it, don't you?"

Fili gaped almost as much as his brother had done, and stared at her wide eyed.

"You swore you would not tell anyone, but I'll ask you again: don't breathe a word to Thorin." Bella chuckled.

"Thorin doesn't know!?"

"Nope," Kili all but sang. "Just me and you, Balin, Bifur and Bofur."

Fili ignored him and turned to her.

"Uncle...he'd send you back." The way the dwarf said those words made it uncertain as to whether it was a statement or a question.

"Probably it is less likely now than earlier on our journey, but still I imagine there's a good chance he would." Bella decided. "Therefore the penalty should you break your word, though I know you won't -do not think I place so little trust in you, would be to carry me all the way back when I get sent home to the Shire."

They sat there in silence for awhile. Bella went back to lying in the sun and Kili watched his brother.

"I think we'd be long dead without you."

A smile spread across Bella's lips.

"There is no reason to send you back but for fear for your own safety."

She hummed. "Women do not fight."

"You mean the women of the race of men do not. All dwarf women fight, they are the defence, we are the attack. If war is brought to our own land they take up arms, and amongst them are our strongest warriors. Men do not always think right, many forget that those who do not carry swords can still die upon them." Fili shook his head. "You have fought well enough to get by so far."

A chuckle escaped. "Why yes, I suppose the fact that I'm alive says that. I'd say it's rather a miracle however that I have not yet injured myself, I'm not particularly skilled with a blade."

"You have a good shot." Kili threw in. A second later he was sitting up. "You lost your bow!"

"Yes, a goblin stepped on it. I'm stuck with my elvish letter-opener now."

"We'll teach you."

"What?"

"We'll teach you how to fight with a sword." Fili repeated.

"Oh yes!" Kili eagerly took to that idea. "We will!"

He sprang to his feet. "I'll go and fetch our blades!"

"What- now?" The dwarf was gone before she could say no.

And so the rest of the day passed with the brothers trying to improve her swordsmanship. They were not bad teachers at all, and though she would have much rathered to be doing something a little less active on their days rest Bella would admit that what she learnt from them would most probably prove very helpful.

The lesson started off sensibly enough, but after a while grew less so and they made such a noise that Dwalin was drawn to them and ended up joining in. Quickly after the whole thing turned to madness and they abandoned their weapons as their practice fights got silly and more like childish brawls that had gotten out of hand.

Fili and Kili ended up rolling on the ground, and Bella chasing Dwalin back to the house wielding a giant stick and shouting.

She was only brought to a stop by Beorn, who grabbed on to the branch she held raised above her head and managed to lift her completely off her feet as she ran up the veranda steps .

"Wo there little bunny, leave the poor dwarf alone!"

 

They left Boern's house one warm morning three days after they had arrived, though with much more than they had come with.

Beorn set them up with food and other supplies, and provided them with ponies to ride on the condition that they sent them back when they reached Mirkwood.

Bella woke before the rest that day they were set to travel, and so did what she would have done if she were at home at Bag End and snuck into the kitchen to make herself some tea. None of Beorn's animals were around the house at such an hour, but when she reached the kitchen she found that the room was not empty.

Dori it seemed had had the same idea as her and had beaten her to the tea.

"Mr Baggins," he caught sight of her and gave a frown. "It is rather early."

"I suppose so, master Dori." She pulled out a seat across from him. "May I join you?"

The dwarf nodded his consent.

They sat and sipped their tea until Bella opened her mouth.

"This is bloody awful."

Dori blinked, and for a second Bella could have sworn he turned his nose up as he looked back down into his cup. "That it is, Mr Baggins. That it is..."

For all Beorn was, a procurer of fine tea leaf he was not. And while the two of them would drink the stuff as long as there was nothing else on offer, they both agreed that it was in no way up to standard.

Tea was something the two of them could talk about, they were both exceedingly fond of the drink.

Bella sighed...She did like her tea. There wouldn't be any where they were going.

Her gaze wandered around the kitchen.

"What is it Mr Baggins?"

"I just have the sudden urge to steal a tea pot."


	31. Chapter 31

Beorn saw them off with 'farewell' and 'ride fast' and a reminder not to stray from the trail when they reached the wood. He said orcs and wargs still lingered in the surrounding land, and that the forest itself could be a very dangerous place. They could make it to the Mirkwood boarder in two days if they made haste.

They pushed their ponies hard and made good time the first day, though the heat of the sun restricted their speed and endurance. They only really breaked that day to set up camp for the night.

Bella looked back for the first time as she slid down from her mount. Beorn's house was far behind. Before them a dark line on the horizon marked where the trees started on the edge of the vast wood. Bella hummed to herself and went to help Bofur and Bombur with dinner.

The next day started off steadily. It was cooler, overcast with just enough cloud to keep the sun covered for the majority of the time.

They kept up a swift march, but at late morning the ponies grew uneasy and became skittish. Soon after Bella spurred her pony on to join Thorin who rode ahead of the group.

She and Thorin had ridden side by side more often than not since they left Beorn's. While Bella had very much disliked the idea of talking to the company leader before, she found herself now compelled to do so.

By talking it was of course mostly meant her blabbering on about the goings on in the Shire, and him opening his mouth every so often to say something of Erebor or the Blue Mountains. Bella thought the dwarf bore her chattering rather admirably. He even seemed to listen to what she said, at least some of the time out of one ear.

He agreed with her that she had been justified to leave Sigismond Took outside the Green Dragon after he passed out from drink one night the week before she left on the quest instead of dragging him home on the grounds that she simply couldn't be bothered to. He also rather worriedly and with no small hint of fear in his voice inquired as to whether Hamfast Gamgee was in fact as possessive over his rose bushes as her stories made him out to be, and if he really had at the young age of fourteen dumped a bucket of mud over the front of Lobelia Bracegirdle's frock after she had trampled through his flower bed.

They conversed amicably for near an hour, but then began to argue over silly things for the sake of having something with which to engage one's mind. To anyone listening there on all that was to be heard was pretty much each of them taking their turns to throw insults at the other. This continued on for a while until a low blow from the dwarf (and he knew very well how low it had been) caused Bella to change her tactics in order to win their little fight.

"Gloin!"

The dwarf stopped his conversation with Bombur to look up."Yes, Mr Baggins?"

"Thorin here wanted to hear about young Gimli's weapons training!"

Thorin's mouth fell open at her words, and when Gloin happily called ahead that he'd tell him everything, right now actually if he so wished it, he closed it and gave her a glare.

Bella laughed. "Better go, Gloin's waiting."

"You truly are a being of evil."

He shook his head and steered his pony round, but as he turned his eyes widened.

Ori's mount was playing up at the end of the company, and the others around were jumpy, but his gaze fell further back than that.

"Wargs!"

Everyone's heads shot up.

"Wargs!" Beorn had not been joking about their lingering adversaries.

Thorin shouted a command in dwarvish and suddenly all of those behind them where urging their ponies on. Bella's mind stopped, within mere seconds there were twelve ponies speeding towards her.

The dwarf next to her grabbed on to one side of her reigns. "Move on, quick!"

He pushed his own mount on and Bella's was pulled along beside.

"Hold on, lean forward, follow me." He dropped his hold but thankfully her pony had gotten the idea and followed close without direction. Bella did her best to keep her balance as the wind rushed past and her heart raced. The speed they went at was faster than she had ever ridden before, and she could not seem to think properly as they shot towards the wood.

The ponies could not keep it up for long, they were laden down with packs and tired after mere minutes at gallop no matter how hardy and strong. To out run the enemy could not be the plan.

The wargs were faster, but it was not the two behind them catching up that brought the company to a stop. More of the beasts were attracted by the noise, and though a distance away they came from in front and it could be seen they had riders of their own.

Thorin gave another shout and drew his pony to a stop, and the rest of the company came to a sudden halt behind.

The leader dismounted quickly. "Draw arms!"

Bella jumped down to the ground and pulled out her blade. She glanced at Thorin and caught his eye. By Valar! Could they go nowhere without something trying to kill them? Couldn't they travel anywhere without getting into yet another fight?

Eight wargs. Five orc riders. Not a massive group, but Azog's followers no doubt with the intent at which they came for them.

It was time to put what Dwalin, Fili and Kili had taught her into practice, she supposed.

The company were quick to get to the ground, and they pulled their supplies from their ponies' backs lest they bolt and not come back, which was most likely. By the time their enemies arrived they had managed to form a ring of sorts with all facing outwards to the threat.

"Get ready!"

Several curses sounded from about the company, and then Dwalin became the first to meet a warg with a battle cry and the sharp edges of his axes. Everything started from there.

Bella dodged out of the way of a charging warg and its rider that would later meet their end by Nori's knifes and Fili's swords, and turned to where Bifur was facing another of the beasts. The dwarf quickly took the warg to the ground with his spear, and Bella wasted no time diving in to use her blade against the orc astride the felled creature before it could prove a problem.

She yanked her blackened sword from the orc and received a nod of approval from her mad friend for her actions. She spun around as a dwarf raced across behind her to help another engage an enemy. There was too much going on, too much to pay attention to, too many directions in which to look and too many noises to focus on. Battle situations confused Bella, and it would always amaze her that the dwarves could fight together the way they did, always seeming to know where everyone else was and what they were about to do.

The ponies running around did not help her either, and only added more things to look out for in order to avoid being trampled. The creature's of Beorn's danced out of the way of the wargs and orcs, weaving in and out between their riders as they fought, but while being cautious and making quite a noisy fuss they did not gallop away in fear. Silly animals.

Bella turned in circles and jumped out of the way when need be. She deflected the swing of an orc blade as the creature charged past on its warg and thought to be-head her as it did so, and she hit another unconscious orc in the head with the hilt of her sword when Dori smacked it in her direction (just to be sure).

The company dealt with their adversaries smoothly, all was going well considerin- Oh Shit-!

 

The shadowy world was cold, was Bella's first thought when she opened her eyes to see grey.

She groaned as she got to her knees. Her head throbbed horribly and she shut her eyes for a minute -or was it hours?- and gripped the fabric of her breeches as she fought off sickness.

There was a sharp pain below her chest, and her ears felt like they were blocked, but she knew there was nothing about then to be heard anyway. The grey world was silent. She pressed a hand to her forehead as the throbbing lessened somewhat before letting her fingers slip down. She felt the tear in her shirt and brought her hand in front of her face.

Even her blood was grey.

'Mr Baggins?'

Bella's head snapped around at the first noise that she had heard before in the colourless place.

'Bilbo?'

She searched, startled. Dark figures moved around her, shadows swirled.

'Bella...? Bella!'

Something shifted in the back of her mind. The greyness that clouded her vision blackened.

"Bella? You awake lass?"

Her eyes snapped open. Again? Hopefully this time for real. Her name. Someone was saying her name, and her real name at that.

"Bofur?" Her voice cracked as the pain in her head decided to flare up once more.

"By Valar!" She groaned as her sight began to focus properly. Bofur was there sitting on the ground next to her, that much she could make out. "What happened?"

Her mind searched for the events that had lead to then.

An orcish blade slipping through her guard, glancing over skin above her stomach. Pain, shock, a fist soaring towards her-

The dwarf chuckled weakly and moved back from where he was leaning over her to adjusted his hat. "Got a bit of a knock on the head."

Bella moaned rather pitifully and draped a hand over her eyes.

"Not bad, you'll be up in no time. Gave us a scare certainly though, seenin' ya drop like that."

"Sorry." She found the tightly wound bandage just below those that she used to wrap her chest. Right across the bottom of her ribcage.

Bofur coughed. "Yeah, I imagine that'll sting some. It's shallow but Oin wouldn't think of leaving it be-"

"Yer right I wouldn't! You never know where an orc blade has been. Wouldn't wish to either, I'd reckon." Oin's gruff voice floated into her mind. "Keep yer eyes open lass and that head will calm down soon enough."

Bella forced herself to peer up. Oin and Gloin where at Bofur's shoulders. To think she hadn't noticed them before! Gloin didn't appear to be blinking. Bella gave him an odd look. She couldn't see anyone else around, maybe because they were on one side of a large rock, but if she listened she could hear them somewhere a slight distance off. "Where are we? Is everyone okay?"

"Mirkwood boarder, about half an hour off from where we were when we ran into trouble. We rode here and stopped so that Oin could patch you up. The second worse injury acquired to yours would be me own. Fell over on me knee see-?" The dwarf pulled up his trouser leg and prodded a small centimeter sized bruise. "Turnin' blue already, not sure if my leg will survive, Oin says he may have ta chop it. Didn't you say so, Oin?"

Oin rolled his eyes. "You'll live. Quit yer whining or I really will chop it."

"How long was I out?" Bella couldn't find the heart to smile at the attempt to make light of everything. ...How awfully embarrassing, to be the one to be causing trouble while everyone else was as right as rain.

"Not even an hour."

"Oh." She relaxed slightly. "Not that long then." So she can't have caused too much of a pain to the company's travel, thank goodness. 

She sighed and her eyes landed on Gloin who was now squinting at her intently.

"What is wrong with him?" Her words came out rather irritably as her foot found contact with the dwarf's leg and she gave him a kick.

"Ah, well," Bofur was the one to answer after throwing Oin and Gloin a look over his shoulder. "About that-"

And as he spoke it slowly came to her what was wrong with the situation, that the dwarf had definitely called her by her given name earlier and had not been questioned about it, that the positioning of the cut on her front surely meant that to properly inspect and bandage it- "I had to tell them."

"Yer know, about, well, you, being what you are."

Bella blinked. Damn. Of course. She gave Gloin another kick to vent some frustration. "Ouch! Stop that!"

It was meant to be a secret. 

"Oin needed to see to that wound and kicked up a fuss until I told him why he shouldn't right there and then, he would have gotten the whole company involved had I not let him in on it."

Bella could clearly understand that Oin had had to be informed, but-

"What about him?" She turned to the red haired dwarf. She liked Gloin, she really did, but the ache in her head and her overall misfortune had brought on an awfully ill mood and it appeared he was to be the victim. "Quit staring!"

"He was being nosey." Oin spoke in annoyance of his brother.

"I was not, I was only close by at the time!"

"Nosey."

Bella sighed a long suffering sigh. "I suppose there are things you both want to know."

Gloin opened his mouth-

"Not really." Oin cut him off and got a glare for it. "The less I know the less I'll have to think about it, and I have a feeling thinking too much about this will only bring me headaches."

The dwarf got to his feet and dusted off his clothes. "Good on ye lass and good luck whatever the reasoning behind this is, but I plan to pretend this hasn't been brought to my attention, at least until in possession of some good ale."

"So you won't spread it around?" She called after the dwarf as he made to wander off in the direction the company must be in.

"Patient confidentially!"

Bella frowned and looked to Bofur, who just shrugged. "What does that mean?"

"Means no! I'll go fetch us some food. Smells good, whatever that is cooking..." The dwarf disappeared from sight.

There was a moment's pause. Then Gloin re-opened his mouth to ask all the whats and the whys and the wherefores he wished.

They answered them all in turn. Then it came to the question of who the dwarf needed to keep his mouth shut around and who he didn't.

"Bifur, Balin, Fili and Kili know." Bella listed.

"And Bombur."

"Bombur!?" Her head snapped to Bofur in surprise, her eyebrows raised. "When did Bombur come into this!?"

"Just recently, actually. Gloin didn't manage to keep his voice down. Bombur overheard." The dwarf rolled his eyes.

"Hey! Don't you pretend it was my fault!

"It was!"

Bella pushed herself up into a more upright sitting position, wincing slightly at the pain of her injury as she did so

She groaned. "There will be nobody that doesn't know at this rate!"

"Mr Bilbo! Mr Bilbo!"

Fili and Kili came rushing around the rock only to collapse in a heap and descend into laugher.

"Mr Bilbo, you'll never guess-!"

"Go on! Guess!"

"-No don't! I want to tell!"

"Balin- Dwalin-!"

"Dwalin knows!"

Bella bit her tongue before she could swear.

"He fainted!"


	32. Chapter 32

The company made an early camp where they were for the night, and most of the evening for Bella was spent assuring dwarves that she was perfectly able to walk around as much as she wished thank you very much.

Part of her restlessness was due to her present annoyance towards, well, towards more or less everything whether it moved and possessed a beard or not. The rest of it was a defiant attempt to show that she was not weak, and it had mostly arose from when Thorin had inquired as to if she was well enough to travel.

She had straight away known in the back of her mind that the question had been the dwarf's way of asking after her well being, but still the wording had set her off and she had stormed around and snapped at anyone who suggested she get some extra rest.

Oin said that the wound he had bandaged had been no more than a scratch, she had been lucky, it hadn't really even needed stitches. Her head was nothing to worry about, though cartwheels and headstands and spinning around were prohibited. -Bella had snorted at that. She was an adult hobbit. If she wanted to cartwheel and spin around then she jolly well would and no one would stop her.

Ori tried to distract her with writing their book, Thorin kept his silence and his distance, Dwalin stared at her like she had grown two heads...or two somethings at least. Dori grumbled to her about the lack of tea, Bombur spluttered when she spoke to him, Gloin expressed a desire to introduce her to his wife.

Of all the dwarves Bifur and Balin did their best to make a fuss of her, and Bella in turn did her best to escape them. Given the opportunity though she had requested a word aside with Balin, for Fili and Kili had made it clear to her that the old dwarf telling Dwalin of her identity had been no slip of the lips. Balin didn't make such mistakes afterall.

Once away from the others she had simply inquired 'why?' and she was still uncertain in her mind whether she liked the reply she had gotten or not.

He had informed his brother knowing that by doing so the dwarf would make an extra effort to look out for her well being. The old dwarf had feared terribly that she had been badly hurt when she had been thrown to the ground, and wished her to come to no more harm.

"Let an old dwarf have a little peace at mind."

The idea that his brother would keep a closer eye on her when trouble arose apparently calmed his nerves somewhat despite the fact that one dwarf paying slightly more attention to her during fights could hardly make that much of a difference.

Bella immediately had taken small insult, but she knew that the matter was not so much about weakness even if she could easily feel it so. She had already learnt that dwarves did not view their women as the weaker of their race, quite the opposite. The men folk's protective nature was more due to the fact they considered their women to be priority. They thought of themselves as more expendable, Bella had gathered from what she had heard, though she didn't like it. That was why in war the men would be the attacking army, so that they bore the brunt of the loss. Approximately two thirds of dwarves were male.

But she noticed also that there was more to it than her gender, for Balin looked at her as her father had once done, and he spoke to her with a great similarity to how he did Fili and Kili despite having been acquainted with her not even a fraction as long. That he cared for her as he did his kin both confused her and warmed her heart, and fought the lingering dislike of the idea that the dwarf thought she needed to be protected.

"Is that what you do?" She asked suddenly after thinking for a while, causing Balin to turn. "When you want to keep something safe you simply set Dwalin on it?"

The old dwarf was quiet for a moment before speaking.

"It works very well in attack also, when words fail and I do not trust my own power to suffice."

Bella blinked. She could bear it she supposed, for Balin's sake...

It grew dark, very dark. Clouds blocked any light the moon and stars could have brought, and they kept their fire small and crackling low so as not to draw too much unwanted attention.

The company bunked down for the night and dropped off one by one. Bella kept up her pacing around them, she didn't feel like sleep.

"Lie down!" Oin grumbled quietly to himself about stubborn hobbits as she passed by.

Bella sighed. She may not need sleep but she was beginning to tire, and her head and chest still ached with a dull pain.

It was a cold night, the coldest yet so far save those high up in the mountains. Whether it be due to the weather and the beginning of autumn or their close vicinity to the pitch black stillness of Mirkwood the air held a terrible chill.

Everyone had grouped up to share blankets and warmth. Bella's eyes moved over the company. She usually curled up with Bofur and Nori, and the three of them were sometimes joined by Fili and Kili. All four of the dwarves were already settled and sound asleep.

She picked up her pack feeling a little lost and caught Thorin's eye.

The dwarf was the only one fully awake besides herself having taken first watch... He was also the only one without another sleeping close, which Bella had noted was often the case.

He watched her from the other side of the fire, eyes twinkling in amusement as she huffed before all but stomping over.

She sat down and gave him a look which she hoped conveyed that he wasn't forgiven for whatever she had decided to hold against him these past few hours. He snorted quietly and looked away.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning was cool and damp.

Bella awoke as Thorin moved to rise to the sight of half the company already up and wandering sluggishly through the mist that had drawn in during the early hours.

She had slept uneasily, her dreams haunted by the howls of wargs and the cries of orcs. In her sleep she had inched closer and closer to Thorin, and as if sensing her distress an arm had been wrapped around her shoulders. It was dreadfully cold now that it was gone.

"Scandalous!" Bofur leaned over to whisper loudly in her ear as they dished out breakfast.

It took her a full minute to work out he was talking of her and Thorin spending the night in such close proximity.

Indeed, it would have scandalous, back in the Shire.

But almost everything about this quest was scandalous, everything she did...all normal sense of propriety was far behind. She had done things just as bad many times a day since their journey began.

"You forget you don't mind being used as a pillow, and you know very well what I am -That surely makes it much worse."

Bofur shook his head and did not lose his annoying grin. "I think we both know that it's entirely different."

"How is that?"

The dwarf only grinned some more and left her standing there to go and stop his brother from completely devouring their breakfast supplies, leaving her torn as to whether to follow and pester an answer to her question out of him.

She frowned. How was it different? She pondered for a second, then shrugged, put the whole thing down to dwarvish oddness, and pushed it from her mind.

Dwarves.

The sun rose red in the East and the mist began to lift.

The company packed up their things, saddled the ponies and were ready to ride an hour after dawn.

They gathered facing the looming forest. Thorin looked at the map and said the trail was to be found to their right. They followed Balin's lead left.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mirkwood. The greatest of the forests of the Northern World.

There were no safe paths through the wood, and there were few of which to choose from.

They could go around the forest to the North, but before that they would need go among the slopes of the Grey Mountains, and all the worst sorts of creatures could be found there. The old forest road was often used by goblins and the track itself at its eastern end was overgrown and in many places made impassable by marshes where the path had long been lost, so that too was out of the question. They could otherwise trek South, if they wished to pass through the Land of the Necromancer, that was.

The best way had been decided as a little known pathway that by fortune led almost straight to the Lonely Mountain. Its gate lay north of the carrock where the edge of Mirkwood drew close to the borders of the Great River, and so to find that gate was now their goal.

They rode for about an hour in search before they came across the gate, and in that time the mist fully cleared and the sky lightened somewhat.

As they travelled Bella's eyes were repeatedly drawn to the thick forest, and she was once more reminded that she was in a part of the world much different to that in which she had lived.

Woods in the Shire were never like this.

Their leaves in their first stages of fading, the usually dark in colour trees of Mirkwood were beginning to form a patchwork of lighter greens and golds.

But the brighter coloured edges it seemed were only a mask for something darker, for beneath the tree tops was thickly shaded, and everything appeared dull and lifeless. You couldn't see past a few meters in, and nothing moved.

There were no deer, no rabbits, no birds around to sing, and more then than before Bella noticed the silence that had fallen about the land.

Upon reaching the gate they all dismounted, though stalled somewhat for none were eager to venture into the forest.

Bella shouldered her pack and the bow Beorn had gifted her with and peered through the entrance to the path, a sort of archway made by two great old trees that leant together.

Others among the company had been kitted out with bows and arrows as well, though Beorn had doubted that they would manage to shoot anything to eat once they entered the forest. The wild things were dark, dangerous and savage.

A lot of strange and queer creatures lived in Mirkwood the bear-man had said, (to which an answering mutter of 'elves' had been heard from a member of the company, though in truth they had all been rather subdued by Beorn's grave words) they would have to have their wits about them.

Once they were ready to enter the woods they sent their ponies on their way back to their master, but with their heavy packs the company knew they would soon feel the loss and more than one of them grumbled and wished they could have kept the sturdy animals.

They made their way on foot from there, walking in a long solemn single filed procession as the path itself was narrow and winding: a gloomy tunnel that twisted and turned in and out among the trunks.

Soon the entrance became a little hole of bright light far behind, and the quiet was so deep that even Bella's footsteps seemed loud.

The dense canopy blocked all light from the sun save the occasional thin ray of light that fought its way through, though as they walked on these became more and more seldom. Until their eyes became accustomed to the dimness they could see very little, and after they had they could see only a little more.

An unknown number of hours in and Bella was ready to revise a previous statement: things did move, they rustled.

Indeed, further in it seemed the forest grew stranger, at the same time more dead and more alive.

The trees became almost black in colour, and their trunks more huge and gnarled. Their branches became more twisted, as did their roots, as if they had being taken by someone and purposely deformed and forced out of shape. Dark ivy wound itself around them, strangling as if to squeeze what little life remained deep down in the trees' hearts.

Everywhere were hanging things and toppled branches, and slime oozed off the trees, sticky and horrible to smell. Mushrooms and toadstools large and odd in colour rose from the ground and the dead looking bark, undoubtedly foul and poisonous to taste.

Yet there were noises. Things crawled through the leaf litter, to hear but not to see, and black squirrels scuttled through the trees.

Spiders had left their webs spun thickly over cracks and crevices in the tree bark, and the longer they journeyed the larger they got. Some spread from tree to tree, though none crossed their path whether it be due to magic or some other reason.

Don't stray from the track. She could see the importance of those words now. They would never find it again if they did.

 

It was not long before they came to hate the forest as heartily as they had hated goblin town, for the path went on and on with little change or hope of an ending.

Bella became sick for a sight of the sun and sky, and yearned for the feel of the wind on her face. The air beneath the trees was ever still and stuffy. The dwarves felt it, built as they were for lives tunnelling and able to go a long time without wishing to see the light of the sun. To Bella it was suffocating.

Days passed until it seemed they had been wandering along the path for an age, yet nothing about the journey changed but the weight of their packs. Their provisions dwindled, and due to the care they took with them they were always hungry and thirsty.

Of all, the nights were the worse, as Bella had always found even before the wood.

But these were much more terrible than at the beginning of their quest when she had spooked at every sound and had imagined eyes watching from the bushes, because here the eyes were no trick of the mind.

They terrified her. Pairs of red or green or yellow, sometimes they gleamed down from the tree branches as she lay and tried to sleep, other times staring out on watch they would shine a distance away, only to fade and reappear in another place. It was the horrible pale sort of eyes she disliked the most. They were unmistakably those of insects, yet they were much too big. All the while on watch she gazed at them in horror, and she caught others doing the same. The younger dwarves often did double watches, though they announced what they were doing to no one.

The nights were unnaturally dark. Pitch-black, though not what you call pitch-black, but really pitch: so black that you really could see nothing. You could wave your hand in front of your nose and not see it at all.

Once the night fell they had to stop lest they lost one another and the trail. In the beginning they tried to light fires, but soon gave up.

The light drew more eyes, though the creatures to which they belonged never let their bodies be shown by the flames. Bats swooped and worse still the fire brought thousands of dark-grey and black moths, some nearly as big as your hand. They flapped and whirred around, flew into your face and landed in your hair, and that the dwarves could not stand. The darkness was preferable to the torment.

They got into a routine of sleeping on the path in a huddle wherever they may be when the darkness fell, and clambered over one another to find the person they were looking for by touch or sound of snore when they gauged it was high time to change watch. This invariably led to a lot of bruises, unpleasant awakenings, and awkward situations.

Over the nights Bella managed to knee Oin in the stomach, catch Bofur's hair on her waistcoat buttons, kick both Dwalin and Bifur in the nose within the space of a minute, put her hand in Kili's face and get her foot tangled in the loop of Bombur's beard. One night Dori tried to walk instead of crawl, tripped over Ori and fell and gave himself a black eye on a tree root. Another time Bofur had moved from his spot to wake Balin and had lost his sleeping place and could not find it again, eventually he gave up looking and slept where he was despite the fact that Nori and Fili were already there -Fili woke up to muddy boots inches from his face and Nori to a heavy weight on his chest that would not budge. Gloin hit Oin, Oin woke up and hit Gloin back. Bella was startled from her dreams when Thorin of all people flat out fell on her and their foreheads clashed painfully, now hadn't that been both terribly embarrassing and awkward? Still, it could have been worse, there were heavier dwarves in the company, valar forbid it had been Bombur that had fallen and squashed her into the forest floor.

They went on and on, and they began to worry. Their supplies would not last forever, in fact they were already beginning to get low, and there was no sign of the forest's end. They could only go forward. They were stuck, with no way of knowing whether the way out of the forest was just around the next bend in the path or whether they were still closer to the entrance than the end. At any rate trying to go back was long out of the question, they no longer had the supplies for that. All they could hope when then awoke each day was that they would see light at the end of the trail before night fell once more.

They tried shooting at the squirrels to boost their food reserves, but the creatures were quick and Bella, Kili, Fili and Thorin wasted many arrows trying to shoot them down. They had gotten nothing the first few days of attempts, and had been totally unsuccessful until one day when they had been taking a rest and Nori had managed to snatch up Kili's bow and hit one that ventured by. The shot was one to be praised, but they soon learned that the squirrels were nasty to the taste, and they wasted no more arrows on them after that.

It was not just food that was a problem, water was too. In all their time in the forest they came across no rivers or springs. None of them had had enough to drink for days due to their ever decreasing rations. They were thirsty, dreadfully so, and that was why coming across such a sight at the time they did was so awful: a black stream, or at least it appeared black in the gloom.

It blocked their path flowing strong and fast, though it was not so very wide.

There was one stream on their map that crossed their way, and Beorn had warned them that they should not drink nor bathe in its waters, for they were heard to carry enchantment and great drowsiness and forgetfulness.

It was torture. Had they not know of it they would have drunk from it no matter the colour and filled the water skins at its bank.

But they could not, and the sight of it only served as a reminder of how dry their throats were.

There had once been a wooden bridge across, but it had rotted and fallen and now only the remaining broken posts showed that it had been there at all. They needed another way in which to cross while avoiding touching the black waters.

Bella had the best eyes of them all and was the one to spot it, "There's a boat! Against the far bank, see?"

A few of the dwarves said they could see, though barely with it being so dark.

"How far do you think?" Ori stood on his toes and peered forward.

"Not that far. Twelve yards, maybe?" Kili squinted.

Bella nodded in agreement. "No more than that, I shouldn't think, maybe even a little less."

"Twelve yards!? By my beard! I must be growing old, I can barely see it now that you've mentioned it!" Dwalin rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

"It's this forest more than you, I'd say." Dori shook his head. "Though you can't expect your senses to be as they were a hundred years ago."

Balin grumbled to himself. Oin asked what they were going on about. "Speak up lad!"

"What now?" Bella looked to Thorin. "Twelve yards or a mile, it does not matter if the boat is tied."

"Someone get a rope! If we hook it and it is bound we may still yet free it. There's little else to be done."

They tied a hook to their longest rope, and Fili took it in hand and flung it across the stream.

Splash! It fell mere inches short.

"Not far enough, try again!"

Fili drew the hook back, but was uncertain as to whether to hold it now that it had been wetted by the water.

"Do you suppose the magic would be strong enough to cause harm from touching a bit of wet rope?"

"I doubt it." Thorin took the line from his nephew before he could investigate. "You're not about to find out all the same."

The dwarf gave it a throw.

"Too far! Draw it back slowly!"

He did so, and by luck the hook caught. He gave the rope a tug and it went taunt, but the boat did not move.

"Tied afterall." Gloin muttered. "Come on Dori, you're the strongest of us all!"

The dwarves pulled and pulled, burned their hands, cursed, and pulled some more until the boat finally came free and they all fell over in a undignified tangle.

The boat sped towards them with the force at which they had been tugging when its hold snapped. There was a loud crunch as it got stuck on the bank, thankfully undamaged. It was a good job that their rope had been stronger.

"Who's first across?"

They went in groups of four, with Dwalin and Bombur at the end as a two, and used another rope they hooked to a tree on the other side to haul the boat over.

They were quick to get across, and soon Dwalin was climbing out with the help of Bifur's offered hand, and Bombur was getting ready to follow while trying not to wobble the boat too much. That's when they heard it: the rush of hooves on the path.

Out of the darkness sprinted a large deer with great antlers and a coat as black as the Mirkwood night.

It charged by as if it had no inkling of their presence, and as it reached the bank took a giant flying leap as if to clear the water with ease.

Thorin had his bow in his hands in an instant and let an arrow fly, though whether he hit the beast or not Bella did not know, she was too busy staring in horror to pay mind. For as the creature had bowled through them Bombur had been about to place one foot on the bank, and in the confusion had been unbalanced and had toppled right into the water and disappeared from sight.

"Oh goodness! Bombur! Bombur is drowning!"


	33. Chapter 33

Her wails were quick to draw the other's attention, and within seconds the whole company were on their knees at the bank searching in desperation for sight or sign of the dwarf.

"Here! Here! I see the hood of his cloak!"

Bifur and Bofur were quick to lean down and grab holds on what of Bombur they could reach, completely disregarding all warning about touching the enchanted water to save their brother and cousin.

Bombur must have weighed a tonne, yet the two dwarves had heaved him out of the stream and on to the bank so quickly that the rest didn't even get a chance to help.

They all gathered round the dwarf that lay drenched from head to toe and- "Asleep!"

"I don't believe it," Fili nudged Bombur with his foot as Oin bent down to verify. "Fast asleep!"

And he was: snoring quietly, he slept with a smile on his pudgy face as if he were having the most wonderful of dreams.

"A picture of health." Oin shook his head disbelievingly after checking the dwarf for any sign of harm. "I suppose that's the magic of the water. A spell of drowsiness, that's what Beorn said."

They all stood and stared until Thorin, thankfully having his wits about him though the rest of them did not, set eyes on Bifur and Bofur, who were still kneeling worriedly beside Bombur and were soaked past the elbows in the water. "Get those wet clothes off! Quick, if you do not want to run chance of ending up like him!"

Bofur was fast to throw his coat and shirt to the ground, though it took a bit of tugging on Bifur's sleeves by Dori for him to get the idea. Bella all but pounced on them with a blanket in a mad attempt to dry them off.

A minute later the panic was over and to their great relief neither Bifur nor Bofur had fallen down asleep. Thorin muttered about them being fools and offered one of them his coat. Bombur snored on, utterly unaware of the world around him.

As if no longer caring for their troubles he continued to sleep, even through their attempts to rouse him: they called his name, shouted in his ear, told him dinner was ready as painful as such words were when they were so hungry and knew they had very little left to eat, Kili even prodded him with a stick. Nothing worked, nor seemed to do the slightest bit of good.

They sat around for quite a while, holding on to the hope that the large dwarf would awake and they could be on their way as simple as that.

"If he does not open his eyes before tomorrow we will have to carry him." Thorin shook his head as he watched the fat dwarf's smile twitch slightly.

"Fili, Kili, Gloin, Dori, Nori, Ori! See if you can't scrounge enough wood from the path side and what is left of the bridge to build a board we can lift him on. Dwalin, you go too," The leader clapped the warrior on the back as he stood. "But none of you stray too far down the path, don't touch the water, and keep an eye on night."

It was already late in the day, the likelihood was they wouldn't be able to move 'til the next morning.

Thorin held a muttered conversation with Balin. Bifur, Bofur and Oin still gathered around Bombur, wrapping him up in blankets and cloaks until he began to look like a giant fat caterpillar, and continuing in vain their attempts wake the dwarf. Eventually they gave up and just sat there and stared in a sullen silence.

Bella sighed and trotted off to help the others pile wood. What a mess this all had become.

After a while they had acquired a fare amount of wood, and sat down with what rope they had and attempted to construct something that wouldn't immediately break under Bombur's weight. It was no small task, and they laboured on for some time.

The lack of food, drink, sleep, it seemed to make everything harder to do, make everything take at least thrice as long, but they did what they could until a distraction tore them away: deer, as snowy white as the stag had been dark.

The creatures appeared on the path ahead as if from nowhere, sparking some excitement. But even as the dwarves leap to their feet and reached for their bows the animals were gone, back into blackness, leaving them all to sit back down even unhappier than before.

 

"How long do you think he'll sleep for?" Bella asked Oin later the next day as the two of them trailed behind those carrying Bombur.

Oin adjusted the many packs over his shoulders before giving an answer.

"I don't know." He gazed ahead at the large dwarf who slumbered peacefully. "Maybe hours, maybe days, perhaps longer. He could awake any minute, I suppose. Magic is a strange thing... We can only hope that he does not die of starvation before the spell wears off."

Bella gulped, and was silent from then on.

The day's travel was hard with Bombur still unresponsive, and their pace was slow. They couldn't travel as far as they would usually, and breaks were more frequent.

At some point during the day they heard the noise of what sounded like a great hunt going by the path to the north, though they of course saw no sign of it, and soon the blowing of horns in the distance faded and silence fell once more.

Bella sat by Bofur that evening and watched Bombur sleep.

"What if he never wakes?" The fear in the dwarf's whisper was clear as he watched his brother from between the fingers of his hands on his pale face.

Bella shook her head and stared blankly. What could one say?

"He will."

And they had to believe that.

 

Days passed, and while there was no change with Bombur there was a slight rejoice that they reached a place where the tree's were mostly beeches and the sunlight came again. There was less undergrowth, and the forest was altogether lighter. They could see further, at some times a fare distance either side of the path: the trees were thinner and the shadows were not so deep.

The night was not so dark even though the grey mists that lingered about the tall trees were thick, and sometimes a breath of air would rustle the autumn leaves down from above to join those of autumns past on the forest floor and they would hear the sound of the wind above the high canopy.

At first their hopes were lifted, but they soon dropped again: they could see much better the endless lines of greyish trunks, and began to believe more than ever that they would never reach the forests end, for by the fourth day from the enchanted stream there was practically nothing left to eat or drink.

They grew tired, very tired, and at times they thought they heard the sound of laughter and singing in the distance.

The noises were faint and eerie to their ears despite the voices being fair. They were not at all comforted.

'Elves.' Bella strained her ears on watch one night. 'Though these may not be friend as those in Rivendell.'

For once she was not eager to see the tall beings, and she blocked out the sound from her mind and edged closer to Thorin. The sooner they were out of this horrid wood the better.

 

Perhaps six days since Bombur's slumber began their path slowly started heading downwards: soon they found themselves in a valley filled with great oaks.

"Is there no end to this accursed forest?" Thorin muttered as the two of them waited for the rest to catch up.

It certainly seemed there wasn't.

Bella watched on worriedly as the company dragged their feet along the trail. At the start the dwarves had carried Bombur in turns of four a time, now it was a struggle for six. Everything was taking its toll. Even Thorin was completely exhausted, she could see it in his eyes and the miniscule slump of his shoulders. She herself could only go on so much longer: every part of her body was weary though she had had no part in transporting Bombur, and she was prone to times of shaky legs and light-headedness. Her and the younger dwarves were most affected by the hardship.

Thorin called a break once everyone had congregated, and they all sat around on roots and took a measly sip of water each.

Gloin lay back and stared at the tree tops.

"Maybe someone could take a climb up and have a look around..."

The company gazed up and there was a moments pause.

All eyes turned to Bella.

Bella blinked.

Well damn it all.

 

Climbing had never been a strength of hers, and once she would have blushed at all the curses that left her mouth as she clumsily clambered upwards.

"Just don't look down!" Nori called from a meter below after she almost slipped and all manner of foul things slipped from her lips. "And what did the tree ever do to you?"

Bella couldn't send him a glare without looking back.

Nori had boosted her up to a low branch and then unspeakingly followed her up in response to her pleading glance. Unlike her the dwarf was a natural climber, and navigated the branches with ease.

"You better catch me if I fall!"

They worked their way higher and higher until the air began to feel much less heavy and thick.

Several times she almost misplaced a foot, and several times she was saved from disaster by her dwarvish friend. But she had been sent up for a reason: to get ones head above the top-most leaves one had to be light enough for the highest and slenderest branches to bear them. While Nori was small and light for a dwarf he was no hobbit- Crack!

Bella gasped as she heard a tree limb snap beneath her, her head turning down in time to see Nori safely find his hold on a branch below where he had been seconds before.

He waved her on. He stopped here.

Bella glanced back up, there was a way still to go.

She dreaded the thought of how she would get back down again, but set off with a look of determination. She'd come this far.

She went even slower than before, all the while wondering if there were spiders in the trees, those ones that had spun the giant webs. Pushing her way through the tangled twigs she received many a slap in the face, and gained green stained hands and clothes from the old tree bark. Once she almost fell and just caught herself in time, and in another instance had a dreadful struggle on her hands in a difficult place where there appeared to be no convenient branches at all.

Finally she pushed her head above the roof of leaves and was met with a shower of spiders: thankfully they were all of the normal kind and size.

The light was blinding, and due to that and her slightly hysterical attempt to shake the running spiders from her hair her eyes remained closed for a minute, and even when she opened them in the end she could see little but black spots dancing across her vision for some time.

She could feel the breeze against her face as she hadn't done for weeks...it was almost surreal. Eventually she blinked the dots away, and when she did she stared.

She stared and stared, and then she laughed.

All around her spread a vast sea of orange, rustling here and there as the wind swept through autumn leaves, and there were butterflies. Giant velvety black ones, they fluttered in their hundreds at the tops of the trees, ghosting by her face and swooping along, carried by the breeze that could take them miles if they so wished it to.

They were so odd to her eyes that were used to the brightly coloured little things of the Shire, they were markingless and dark and so so fitting of a place like Mirkwood, and they were beautiful.


	34. Chapter 34

It took an age for Nori's shouts to draw her out of her marvelling, for a sight such as she saw after weeks of darkness was new life to a sunken spirit, and it lightened her heavy heart and eased her worries for all the time she gazed upon it.

But eventually she had to take notice and put her mind back to the task at hand, and when she peered around it hit her awfully that she could see no end to the forest no matter in which direction she turned.

She looked and looked this way and that again and again, as if something may appear to her that seconds ago she had overlooked.

Her frustration rose, her desperation turning into anger and then to tears and a lump in her throat.

"What do you see?"

She swallowed and shook her head despite the fact Nori could not see her from his position below.

She stared a minute more before moving to begin what promised to be a long hard climb back down the tree.

And when she got to the bottom she would have to tell them all the news. The end was not in sight.

Curse that she'd ever agreed to go up in the first place!

"Well?"

Fili and Kili were upon her almost as soon as Nori dropped her down to the ground.

"Did you see the end? How much further?"

Bella gulped at the excitement in their voices and the all too hopeful look in their eyes. "I-"

She glanced around the company, all eager to hear what she had to say.

"I did not see the boarder; the tree was not as advantageous as it appeared. But I saw the trees seemed to thin and change just a bit along, I imagine that is where we will finally get out of this place, and it is not too very far away."

She had, of course, seen nothing of the sort. To her it had very much seemed as if the trees stretched on and on forever, for all her vantage point had allowed her to see was the tops of oaks.

She had told Nori all of it on the way down, though the dwarf did not so much as bat an eye at the change in her report. What was she supposed to do? Tell them all straight there to their faces that no, there was no end to the forest, at least not one near enough to get to with their rations? And that yes, they were going to die here, be it dehydration or starvation?

No, she could not.

She hated herself for lying, for deception: they all deserved to know the truth, but she simply wasn't strong enough to tell them it. She didn't have the guts, and perhaps also she needed to lie to herself for her sanity.

Nori it seemed was not about to correct her story either.

Thorin frowned slightly and gave her a searching look.

"Right then...everyone on your feet!"

Soon the company were plodding along again down the path, those carrying Bombur at the head to set the pace.

Bella and Thorin fell into step a way behind.

"What did you really see?"

Bella nearly jumped.

"Black butterflies... and thick forest for as far as my eyes could see."

The dwarf nodded once and moved on ahead.

Balin had been close behind and took his place by her side, a grave expression adding yet more years to his old face and his voice tinged with worry. "Just keep walking Mr Baggins, that's all we can do. Just keep on going."

 

That night they ate the last scraps of food, though it did little to ease their hunger.

Bella watched Bofur as she slowly chewed on her last mouthful of food at the base of a tree. The dwarf's shoulders were slumped as if carrying the weight of the world, and he spoke very little of late: she had heard no joke from him to raise their spirits since the river.

Perhaps too the enchanted water had affected him and it was not just his worry though: he had become prone to staring off into nowhere at times, eyes unfocused and the same small smile on his face as his sleeping brother, then he would shake himself and look around as if unsure as to what he had been doing. Whether Bifur as well was affected she could not tell, for it was not unusual that he was in his own little world, though never had he remained such for so long before.

Bella looked up to acknowledge Thorin before he sat down beside her. The two of them had grown used to each other's presence both day and night, and finally things were comfortable enough between them that Bella would call the leader a friend to her.

The dwarf didn't speak, merely nodded and sat and began to think in silence, most probably about how they were going to deal with their current situation. Bella went back to fretting over her closest friend and his relatives.

It could have been hours or mere minutes before the dwarf cleared his throat and she was brought out of her thoughts.

"Hmm?" She turned quickly, only to freeze and blush upon almost bashing noses with the dwarf, who sat on lower ground.

"Sorry!" She scrambled back. "What were you saying?"

"Nothing so important as to repeat..." He shook his head before gesturing over at the miserable dwarf. "You worry for him?"

Bella let her gaze wander back to Bofur. "I worry for them all. Bofur, Bifur and Bombur are especially at the roots of my fears at this time."

He nodded understandingly.

"Have you any idea of what we are to do?" Bella asked, though she had a good inkling of what his answer would be.

She was not wrong.

"Not as of yet, but I will continue to think on it best I can."

He returned conversation back to before.

"Go and cheer him up Mr Baggins," He gestured over again at the miner. "Things are dreadfully dull at the moment without the two of you trailing at the back as you are used to, laughing at your secret jokes like old maids and leaving us all to wonder if it is us who are providing the amusement. The days are too mournful, too dark, and now more than ever we need some light."

 

The next morning was an eventful one, or at least a lot more eventful than recently, because amid their tired groans when Balin gave the wakeup call there joined a voice that they had heard not a peep from for over a week.

Bombur had finally woken up, and he couldn't for the life of him work out why he felt so hungry.

They all stared in shock then quickly crowded round, laughing breathlessly in relief and slapping the fat dwarf on the back. Bifur began to chatter on about something or other to his cousin in ancient dwarvish, what exactly of course none of them knew, but that didn't stop him. Bofur and Bella shared a grin. Bombur just scratched his head in confusion.

It was soon learnt that Bombur remembered absolutely nothing of their quest: last he knew they were at Bag End having a wonderful meal, and they had great difficulty making him believe all the adventures they had had since they started their journey now many months ago.

He was also all the more unwilling to accept their tale once they revealed they had nothing to eat, and he flopped back down to the floor and wailed, "Oh why did I bother waking up if there is no food? I was having such lovely dreams of great feasts with all sorts of wonderful things to eat and drink!"

"Well we at least are glad to have you back." Fili shook his head in exasperation.

"You are no joke to carry all this way, I can tell you that!" Dori helped pull Bombur to his feet, but the dwarf was all weak and wobbly in the legs, and had to sit down again.

Progress that day was no quicker than before, for while they no longer had to struggle under the weight of Bombur the dwarf was not able to move very fast or for very long. In fact it was a somewhat miracle that he could travel anywhere at all after going without food so long, but everyone just supposed the stream's magic had had something to do with it all. No one complained about the pace, they were weakened enough themselves to be exhausted by it after midday.

They came to parts of the forest even lighter and aired than those before, and the younger dwarves rejoiced somewhat and said she must have been right: the end had to be near.

Bella, rather surprised, as she had in fact not seen a thinning in the trees at all, began to wonder whether her words had been closer to the truth afterall, and whether or not they were indeed going to manage to escape the wood.

But while hours later the trees had changed to tall beeches and they sometimes caught glimpses of the sky the trail showed no sign of coming to an end, and the giant webs were back and none of them liked that.

Eventually they had to stop for a long break, for Bombur moaned that he simply could not go any further and fell down to the floor and refused to be moved. Many took the welcome rest as a chance to lie down or find a spot against a tree and bow their heads, though Thorin paced around and sighed a lot and argued that the effort it would take to get back up and start walking after stopping was simply not worth it, and that they better not stay sitting down there too long or they'd never manage to get up again. Bella agreed silently: now that she had gotten to the floor getting up was not a task she looked forward to.

They rested in silence, at least silence baring Dori's occasional chuckle or quiet comment to Ori. The dwarf had, after days of pestering his youngest brother, finally been allowed to have a look at the book Ori was always scribbling in, though only him mind, he wasn't allowed to show anyone else.

Bifur inspected the leaves on the ground, boredom written all over his features, Ori's eyes began to droop, Balin watched everyone with a tired gaze.

After a while Thorin announced he was going to walk ahead and see what he could find. Bella scrambled to her feet, and across from her Nori did the same. Dwalin heaved himself up, and Bofur decided then he better go along too. Gloin groaned, but made no move to join them.

The five of them walked and walked, stopped a minute then walked some more.

Near half an hour must have passed in silence and still they carried on with no sight or sign of anything ahead, then Dwalin fell over and got a face full of earth.

They all halted and stared. The glare they all received when the large dwarf got to his knees, face and forearms scratched and even more muddy than before, told them that they would not be speaking of the incident. Nori didn't manage to hold back a snigger.

It was then that something caught their attention, a way off the track and to the right, much further in than they could see.

They gazed off in the direction it was for some time, though whether it had been sound or glimpse of distant movement that drew them none quite knew.

Thorin took two steps forward towards the edge of the path.

Bofur scratched his head. "Gandalf said-"

"-We can't leave the path!" Bella grabbed onto the leader's arm. "We can't!"

Thorin faltered for a moment.

She could see him thinking everything though, but as he did so her own resolve to heed the wizard's and Beorn's words too began to wane. Their eyes met and it was decided.

"Gandalf is not here, nor is he coming to our rescue, not this time."

They weren't going to get out of the forest, not unless something changed and soon. They had to search for their own solution, and if in that search they had to leave the path so be it.

Dwalin stayed on the trail while the rest of them ventured in, and when they could only just see the large dwarf Bofur and Nori stopped so that they did not lose their way back.

She and Thorin continued on, throwing glances back over their shoulders as they crept through the undergrowth to make sure the two dwarves behind them were still just about in sight, or at least that they still thought they knew more or less where they were.

It was like back when she had snuck through the woods all those months ago with Fili and Kili when the ponies had gone missing, creeping about as quietly as they could and keeping low...she desperately hoped it wasn't trolls or something equally as horrid they found this time.

"There!" Bella breathed as she caught a glimpse of movement between the trees.

They crouched behind a fallen tree.

Elves. They were just visible in a clearing ahead, though dressed in browns and greens as they were they could easily have been overlooked. The beings were obviously resting, some sitting, some standing, a few were eating, and that served very well as a reminder of how achingly hungry she was.

The elves were only a few in number, all tall and fair...and armed.

"A patrol." Thorin muttered.

A head swung their way and they ducked down to the ground and froze still with baited breath.

"We must be no more than a day's travel from the Elvenking's halls." The dwarf carried on, more quietly this time as Bella dared a look through the leaves of a bush. A silver haired elf peered curiously in their direction, and even seemed about to take a step their way to investigate -but then one of his companions evidently said something funny, for the others laughed and he turned his attention back to them and appeared to forget all about anything he may have heard.

"Damn elvish ears." Thorin leant back against the tree as she watched the fair beings.

"They certainly seem...merrier than those of Rivendell. Louder, less straight faced..." Bella observed as she watched the not so far off inhabitants of Mirkwood laugh amongst themselves, and smiled slightly though she could barely make out their voices at this distance, let alone the words they spoke.

Thorin huffed almost inaudibly. "Wood elves can be, at times, when others are not around to see, or so I have heard. Never have I witnessed any great proof of it. Step out there and we'll meet a couple of statues, no doubt about it."

They sat there for a minute before Bella decided, "We need to talk to them."

Thorin sent her a look.

"We need help!" She spoke urgently in whispers.

"But...elves, Bilbo-"

"If not we will die here and you know it!"

Bella turned her eyes back to the elves and took a good look at them all.

"I'll go and show myself," She said with determination. "Most likely they'll be more friendly to a hobbit than a dwarf."

She made to move, but Thorin caught her and pulled her back down.

"And if they aren't?"

They met eyes with glares and held them, and in his mind Bella could see the dwarf trying to come up with a better option than to let her go and meet them. After a while when he found none he sighed and let her go.

"That we should now hope that Thranduil will take pity on us." Thorin all but spat out the name, but sank down slightly closer to the ground.

He was tired of watching his company suffer these past days, watching them grow ever weaker...it was wearing him down.

If it were just him stuck in the wood alone, Bella imagined, accepting the help of elves was one thing he would never do, no matter how bad his situation got. He would refuse and stand firm like the stubborn dwarf king under the mountain-they-were-trying-to-get-to would, even if in the end it killed him.

But it wasn't just him here, and no matter what he would swear against the woodland folk his sister sons and those under his charge came first. That Bella was certain of. They would always come first.

"Do what you will."

She nodded, but even as she stood there was a noise to the North.

A faint blare of a distant horn, and even before she heard it the elves' attention had snapped in the direction it sounded from.

They were all on their feet in seconds, a few even that Bella had not noticed before jumped down from trees to the clearing floor. The food was away and the laughter and conversation forgotten and just like that they were gone, running off into the trees and disappearing out of sight as if they had never been there at all.

Bella stood and stared, and when Thorin got to his feet too she looked at him and could find nothing to say.

They stayed there a while in silence, and momentarily debated whether to go and see if the elves had dropped any food and left it behind, but in the end they just trudged wordlessly back to find Bofur and Nori, then Dwalin and the path.

They told nothing of the elves to the other three dwarves, nor to the rest of the company when they finally got back, well over an hour from when they had left.

 

When they did return it was most surprisingly to raised voices: they heard them through the trees even before they turned the corner of the path and set eyes on the company.

Even more surprisingly it was Dori's raised voice, though whatever he had been shouting about they did not get close enough to hear in time, and Balin was talking to him quickly and quietly when they got there. Both of the dwarves were on their feet, as was Ori, and Dori sent long looks at them over Balin's shoulder as soon as they came into sight.

All they ended up hearing of it was Bombur's loud wail, "Is this another thing I have forgotten!? Or did I not know of this either?"

"Is there a problem?" Thorin inquired as they came up to the group.

Balin looked to Dori, and after a pause the dwarf spoke. "No...No, not at all."

The leader gave them an odd look, as did the rest of them that had just returned, then went on to report that they had found nothing ahead and they would just have to keep on going.

So the rest got to their feet, and as did Bella, for she had just plonked down to the ground again. Fili and Kili had to be woken up, evidently they had managed to sleep through whatever had occurred while they were gone.

Bella let everyone pass her, making the decision that she'd much rather drag along behind this time instead of walking near the front of the group. Fili and Kili all but sleep walked as they followed after Oin and Gloin. Dori-

Bella stopped a step and wondered whether she had actually seen what she thought she just saw. Had the dwarf really huffed and stuck his nose in the air as he went past? That didn't seem very Dori-ish.

"He's a bit put out."

"Hmm?" Bella was a little perturbed that she hadn't noticed Ori walking in step with her by her side until then.

Ori pressed the book he had been clinging to for days into her hands.

Bella just stared at it until the dwarf gestured for her to open it. She did so, curious after so long of Ori being adamant that it was not to be read til it was finished as to why she was being offered it now.

"I don't know whether it's because he was left in the dark," The young dwarf spoke as she flicked through pages and scanned for anything it could be she was meant to be looking for. "...Or because he thought he'd found another guy who liked tea and knitting as much as he, and now it turns out he hasn't...but it'll all blow over, he'll come around eventually."

"Ori!" Bella almost squeaked as she took a second look at the page she was on. "Have you been writing me as 'Miss Baggins' from the very beginning!?"

"Maybe..."

It turned out the dwarf had suspected even back at Bag-End that she was not Mr Baggins, no matter what he had been told otherwise, and had written her as such and had apparently seen no fit to inform her that he was not oblivious to her gender. Dwarves.

He apologised for forgetting and letting Dori find out, but really he said, most everyone knew anyway, and he had been much too tired to think of the fact that by reading the book her identity would be revealed to his brother.

Bella sighed a long suffering sigh.

They passed the point at which they had left the track, and as they did Bella peered off to the side, but of course saw no sign of any elves. They walked on and continued to do so until night fell because they no longer needed to leave any time aside for eating. Their food had all gone the evening before, and this evening their water went too.

Though she tried Dori refused to talk to her -inside his mind there was a battle going on as to whether he should continue to be insulted or be polite to a woman as he had always believed he should be.

Bella lay down and tried not to think, though her mind still protested that she couldn't sleep, not while hungry. She listened to the sounds of the dwarves dropping off to sleep one by one, to the sound of Dori shifting around on watch while trying to find a comfortable position in which to sit on the very uncomfortable forest floor. She listen to Thorin to whom she was back to back with, and she could both hear and feel the rhythm of his breathing that told her he was not asleep. Worrying, most likely.

She closed her eyes tight, but the longer she lay there the more her ears seemed to wake up to the forest.

She heard them.

Voices, and not of any elf.

"Do you hear that?" She breathed, fear leaking into her mind.

Thorin tensed and must have listened hard, for after a moment she felt him shift in what must have been a shake of the head.

Bella held her breath and listened for them again, but this time try as she might heard nothing.

She frowned. Had what she heard even been real? Was she really in such a condition to trust her senses? Her mind was playing tricks she told herself as she gripped her waistcoat pocket, and slowly she drifted off into an uneasy slumber.

When Bella was shaken awake and forced to opened her eyes it was to find it was still night.

In fact, she thought as she blinked, if anyone was to ask she'd reckon she hadn't even been asleep an hour. Her tired mind was slow to wake, but she heard the whispers of the others through the darkness.

"Mr Baggins!" The shaking persisted, "Mr Baggins, there are lights. There are lights in the trees!"


	35. Chapter 35

Bella was pulled to her feet, still somewhat in a daze. "What!? Where?"

She looked to where the others, barely discernible as dark shapes in the night, seemed to be facing.

And there they were: at first glance a mere few points of light far off between the trees, but at second you noticed that they were not stationary, and in fact there were many more than you first thought. Some moved, twinkling in and out of sight, and if you shifted your stance to the left or right the ones you saw before would disappear and new ones would come into view. There was no mistaking the distant reds and oranges of flaming torches carried though the wood, and to them it could mean only a few things. Orcs, goblins, trolls -so close to the Elvenking's halls? Not likely.

"The elves are back." She mumbled, though not quietly enough that the observation was kept to herself.

"Back!?" Many of the dwarves exclaimed in unison as Thorin came up behind her and appeared to shake his head in the darkness.

"...Then it seems we will try again, as much as I loathe to do so." She could almost hear the sigh at the end of his words.

"Though this time we all go, and we stay together, the last thing we need is to lose anyone in the dark."

 

They all grabbed their things as best they could, though in the blackness it was unlikely that nothing was left behind.

Stumbling and scrambling they went through the night towards the lights, conversing in strained whispers, close to the edge of panic at what they were doing. Purposely seeking out those they had long despised... What was the world coming to? 

The night was dark and chilled, a mist hung thick in the air between the higher branches of the trees. As they walked the whispers thrown back and forth between the members of the company slowly faded out, and by the time they had drawn parallel to the lights on the path they had fallen completely silent.

They ventured off the trail, each keeping a good hold on another. Bofur found her hand and grasped it tight, and Bella searched through the dark with her free hand to eventually find Ori's sleeve. They trekked through the trees slowly, and the nearer the lights became the more they slowed their pace.

The company moved surprisingly quietly for a group containing thirteen heavy-footed dwarves - somehow they were not caught in their approach.

As they drew closer they could pick out the figures of the elves, closer still and they could make out faces bathed in the light of the torches they carried.

The company lingered in the dense bushes at the edge of a clearing much larger than the one Bella and Thorin had found the resting patrol in earlier that day, and from there they gazed out at the fair beings that gathered in the night.

The woodland folk laughed in their little individual warm globes of orange, their faces lit with the glow cast by their torches, and they almost appeared as if in a graceful dance as they slipped and weaved in and out between one another on their paths across the clearing. There were a good many of them, forty at the very least from what Bella and the others could see, though from the shadows that were not lit laughing and calling voices sounded, and it could not be told how many were truly gathered there.

The elves in the clearing that they could see were all dressed as those before had been – they were many members of several different armed patrols meeting after a day of work, and from them Bella thought she may have glimpsed one or two that she had seen earlier. They chattered and greeted one another joyfully, the hardship of the forest the company had been subjected to over the last number of days did not affect them so, and many fished out food and drink from their packs to finish off or pass to others.

Some of them glanced towards the group with curiosity as if their very presence could be sensed. But the company were well hidden by the dark shadows that covered them, and even elf eyes struggled to make out the figure of a hobbit or dwarf (if they did not move) in the darkness that lay around after they had become accustomed to the bright glare of flaming torches.

The company held back, though it took all their self control not to rush over and beg for a drink and a bite to eat. Despite coming all this way to investigate the situation was still a great dilemma to them. They didn't want to be anywhere near elves, and they most definitely didn't want to ask for help. They had been denied aid before, their prides protested against them asking for it again now, it would be terribly degrading (though in the backs of the minds of a few of them, they reasoned that there had been sense in the denial before: dragons were a very different and serious business afterall).

Of course, the likelihood of being received with hostility was high, and there was uncertainty as to whether they would receive help at all -first to come would more likely be demands to know what they were doing so deep into Mirkwood, and those demands were not welcome. It would be well within the woodland folk's right to ask and to receive an answer, Bella thought, but she very much doubted that any truthfully given reply would not go down well. For the more she had dwelt on it, during those dark nights in the forest when sleep just wouldn't come and she had lay awake and fiddled with the golden ring within her pocket, listening hard to the wordless whispers she must have imagined in the blackness, the more she became certain that as determined as she may be to see the quest to its completion, it was not likely to end well. She'd always believed it wouldn't end well of course, but she had recently begun to comprehend that it not ending well would not just mean badly for them: evoking the wrath of Smaug could mean trouble for others too. The elves would not be happy to learn of the aim of their quest, it did not do to leave a dragon out of your calculations, if you lived near him. No, the elves would not be happy at all.

For exactly how long they stood there in the darkness Bella did not know, her gaze was easily captured by the graceful beings, and once she had started watching them she found it hard to stop doing so. Elves would always fascinate her, whether in circumstances they were welcome or not.

But the company were not to be given all the time in the world to dally and be hesitant, and had they perhaps known what was coming they would have been more decisive in their actions, and saved themselves a great deal of trouble.

The first of any of them to get wind of danger was Bella herself, for through the darkness she heard again the whispers from before, but closer this time, much, much closer.

Her ears pricked and it almost seemed to her that the noise of the elves faded and her senses zoned in on the new sound as she turned to look back the way the company had come. While before she had been able to pick out the trunks of trees in the night and other large obstacles in her way now she could see nothing, not even a hand in front of her face.

Her eyes had stared too long at the bright flames, all she saw now when she looked away was blackness.

'Elves' The whispers grew, and for the first time she heared words. 'Nasty two-legged things.'

A dreadful sense of foreboding settled in her chest. Something was coming. Something the likes of which she had not encountered before. Something bad.

More than one voice whispered, more than one thing was heading their way.

Bella tried to move, tried to speak, but her feet were rooted to the spot and her mouth would not open.

'Hungry for a bit of meat...kill...kill!'

Then suddenly there were shouts off in the trees on the opposite side of the clearing to which they were hiding. Bella drew a sharp breath and spun around. An out of sight commmotion was turning the heads of all those present.

All about the clearing elves began running to the trees, extinguishing their torches, drawing their knives, and readying their bows with arrows. Commands travelled in shouts among them as they sprung into action.

The many torches that had burned in the clearing halved in number in a matter of seconds as their bearers abandoned them in favour of taking up weapons and springing into the trees, and very quickly the place became a whole lot darker. Bella's eyes sought out each globe of light as it was extinguished and it's bearer disappeared from view. The thick blackness left behind in their place seemed impenetrable to the company's eyes. Their vision had become too accustomed to the light: save the points lit by the remaining torches they could see nothing around them.

Blind in the dark Bella felt something strange and hairy and alive brush against her bare lower leg, and in her sudden fright let out a startled scream.

An elf, paused in the panic, met her wide eyes as a torch cast light onto her face. Bella saw the shock flood into the fair being's expression as they caught gazes, the elf's face a picture of surprise for the few seconds Bella looked upon it.

She'd been seen, but in the end it mattered not, for within moments the last of the light went out and there was nothing to be seen but total darkness.

It was then that the utter confusion began - the shouts, the voices, the whistles of flying arrows and what sound like screeching cries of pain. Everywhere there was something moving. Bella had dropped Bofur's and Ori's hands while standing at the edge of the clearing, now she dearly wished she hadn't - she was jostled by something solid and large and ended up stumbling into the clearing. Behind her she heard the alarmed noises of the company and the heavy falls of feet, the whispers that were no longer just whispers.

Things ran and scuttled to her left and to her right, and soon had her spinning in endless circles, and in the panic her feet were forced to carry her further across clearing. Before she knew it she had been separated from the company.

She began to shout out for them when she first heard Oin's loud curse of pain, but was soon cut short when she was bowled over by something with way too many legs. She let out a grunt of pain as she hit the floor. There was something alive crawling over her, something hairy and clicking and horrible to the touch and- 'What a lovely mouthful!'

Bella opened her mouth to scream. Spiders! Giant spiders! The ones that made those webs, the whispers in the night- 

In the end no sound escaped her, because then came the whistle of an arrow and suddenly the creature was backing off her and screeching in pain.

'It hurts! It hurts!'

Bella rolled over and scrambled to her feet, heart pounding. Spiders! As big as ponies some must be-! Another whistle and a thud – an arrow hit the ground where she had not seconds ago lay.

She drew a sharp breath, froze for a moment, and then ran.

Another arrow landed close at her heels. She did not know what direction she was heading in, but she had to get away from the fighting or she would easily be shot down in the dark.

She managed to get out of the clearing and pressed on through the trees, her heart continuing to pound even as the sounds grew quieter and the forest stiller.

It was her ears picking out Bofur's voice in the faded sounds of the racket far behind her that finally brought her to a stop. It was then she realised how far she had gone and how quiet the forest was around her save the sound of her loud trampling through the undergrowth and the noise far behind. She thought she heard him yell, and that was when she stopped and yelled back, before desperately attempting to make her way in his direction. But no matter how she tried she could not seem to reach him, she never seemed to get any closer, only further away.

After a while the fight seemed to calm down a bit, or at least move elsewhere – the sounds quietened, and eventually they stopped.

The night stilled, and far off in the distance Bella could pick out voices belonging to others in the company. She heard them calling each other's names – so they had been separated too then – and sometimes they called hers.

She called back, she yelled, she hollered at the top of her voice without thought of what else may hear and coming looking. She stumbled through the woods, tripping and bumping into things clumsily in the dark.

She searched and she shouted in vain, but the calls of the others only grew fainter, and as time went on and she staggered through the never ending blackness she only became more scared and more desperate.

One by one the company's calls of names turned to cries for help.

Bella screamed for them and turned in circles on the spot as if the direction they were in would suddenly be shown to her, but of course it was not. The forest played tricks on a terrified mind, calls appeared as if to come from different directions each time they sounded. She couldn't get to them.

It felt like hours. Hours, it must have been. Long after Fili's and Kili's last shouts had ceased, when she had screamed herself hoarse and had given up calling for none seemed to hear, she still stumbled through the night.

Her eyes became adjusted again to the dark, but they were of little use. With every second longer she spent alone she got more worked up, and towards the end she almost broke into a run.

At last she tripped and fell to the ground and she found she did not have the strength to push herself back up. That was the point at which it all became too much.

She curled up in a ball, gave in, and cried and cried.

 

She didn't know how long she stayed there on the forest floor, all but oblivious to the world around her.

She heard the heavy foot falls, the laboured breath, but her mind didn't process it.

Not until after a large boot had hit her side and its owner had been sent flying to the ground to land heavily on the forest floor that was.

A string of curses sounded and she lifted her head in surprise.

"Thorin!?"

The curses halted.

"Bilbo?"

There was a sudden scramble to reach for the other in the dark.

Bella could just about make out the dwarf's form, and she caught hold of his arms as he reach towards her and held on to them tightly as if never to let go.

"By Aule!" Thorin gasped in relief and pulled her closer. "I thought I would never find any of you!"

Bella found herself in his arms for the second time in her life, and this time immediately took the opportunity to bury her face in his furs. She drew a few shuddering breaths and shut her eyes tight. Like this she could almost forget...

They remained where they were for a minute before the dwarf seemed to remember where they were and the problem they faced and pulled back. Bella straight away missed the warmth, and fought the urge to inch back into the strong arms.

They could barely make out each other's outline in the darkness. She was glad he could not see the tears still running down her face.

The heavy hands that rested on her shoulders tightened their grip, and Bella could not put into words how much comfort their presence gave her. She calmed down slightly, breathed easier.

"Have you heard anyone else recently?"

"No, not a peep!" And then the panic leaked back into her voice. "Thorin, I worry for the oth-"

"-And I worried for you." He cut her off with a voice much calmer than how he must have felt inside.

"But here you are. Still alive and getting in my way and as well as could possibly be expected."

His words were spoken fondly, and it seemed to her he had said more than he had meant to, for he was quick to clear his throat and move to pull the both of them to their feet.

"If my luck has done me well enough so far as to bring me stumbling across you in the dark, then I may yet continue to hope to find the rest of my company also."

He grasped her hands, and Bella was too exhausted to do more than stumble along behind him in silence as he led them onwards.

They walked for the best part of an hour, Bella estimated, and they ran into nothing during that time. No Fili or Kili, no Dwalin, no Balin...no spiders though either and for that Bella was thankful.

Once as they made their way through some thicker undergrowth her ears picked up the whispers again, far off, but still closer than she would have liked.

Thorin gave no sign of having heard them.

"Do you not hear them at all?" She wondered, speaking for the first time in such a while that her voice surprised even herself.

Thorin stopped and looked at her. "I hear nothing."

"What do you hear that I do not?"

And Bella told him about the spiders, how she could hear the words they spoke, but he only shook his head worriedly and told her that even back at the clearing he had only heard the noises they made, and he had not known they spoke words, he did not hear them.

"That is a concerning thing to learn to say the least..."

He pulled her on with a quicker pace than before in the opposite direction to which she believed the voices came from.

They did not walk on for long.

The whispers were gone and the forest was still and Bella began to fall asleep on her feet. Her eyelids drooped, her feet started to drag, and her mind started to drift elsewhere.

She had no warning: she was abruptly jolted awake as the hand holding onto hers jerked forwards. They both stumbled, and all of a sudden her feet didn't know where to go and her brain could not catch up with what was happening quickly enough.

They had come to a point where the ground sloped steeply downwards, and Thorin had not seen the change in the darkness. He fell, and she fell after him, tumbling through the dirt and leaf litter and a sudden darkness.

 

It had all happened so quickly. It had not been all that very far to fall...but Bella couldn't remember coming to a stop.

She pushed herself onto her elbows and let out a groan.

Her head swam at first, and when she pressed her fingers to where the pain came from they came away sticky. Blood.

She frowned. There had been falling, and rolling, and then-

Oh.

Yes.

Then there had been that rock. 

Bella picked up the offending small boulder, hardly bigger than her spread hand, and threw it away to the side. Due to its weight and the lack of strength behind her throw it barely went a yard.

She looked around. It was still dark.

"Thorin?" She questioned the blackness around her.

She got no answer.

Bella pushed down a wave of panic.

She reached around her in search, but the dwarf was nowhere to be found.

"Thorin!?...THORIN!"

She screamed at the top of her voice, but all she got in reply was silence.

Thorin was gone. And she was alone, completely alone.

A sob racked her body.

"Dammit all!"


	36. Chapter 36

Bella cursed under her breath.

It had been hours.

Her head swung to the left, then to the right. There were few choices she had the option to make.

The darkness was fading, dawn was near. It seemed now an age from when she had awoke to find Thorin missing.

She had little time.

Her cursing continued as she scrambled to the nearest tree and began to heave herself up using what holds in the bark she could find in the half-light.

Her arms trembled with the effort, new scratches were drawn onto her skin. She climbed up and up, her breathing laboured and her ascent not eased by the stained sword she stubbornly kept in her grip.

Her blood rushed loudly in her ears, but over the noise she could still hear them drawing nearer.

Over the course of the night she had become even more wild looking. Her waistcoat was more torn, her face more dirtied, and all over she was clung to by thick sticky webs. The hours had not been easy. While she could not find her companions she had stumbled now deep into a place where danger crawled everywhere - both over the ground and through the trees.

When she had first bumbled through an old great web strung between the trees and had spluttered and scrabbled to get the stuff off her face and out of her month she had almost stopped and thought about turning around, but she hadn't, no voice in her mind had suggested she went back.

As she had progressed the webs had gotten thicker, sticker, newer. Sometimes she had gotten stuck and needed to cut herself free with her sword. Sometimes she had used her blade for other purposes. Not all webs were unoccupied.

She was a different person alone in the dark without any hope of help from a wizard or the company or anyone else: she was bolder, fiercer, quicker to strike, and it had saved her life many a time.

Bella pulled a broken web off her front and gasped silently as she pushed herself up to stand leaning against the trunk of the tree on the thick branch she had just heaved herself on to. Her legs trembled from exhaustion, and her breathing came shallow as she fought to remain as quiet as possible.

She pressed her back against the tree, closed her eyes and listened.

The forest was almost silent. Somewhere above the trees a cold wind rustled the leaves. Beneath the trees the forest was still, a mist hanging damp in the air.

She adjusted her grip on the sword in her hand.

'Eeeeeeeeack!'

Bella's eyes snapped open as she drew a sharp breath.

Peering down to the forest floor she could just about make out the dark forms of two spiders as they meet under the tree, each having come from an opposition direction. The creatures halted to inspect each other, pincers clicking away, before each scuttled off through the undergrowth the way it had before been heading.

Bella let out the breath she had been holding as the creatures moved out of sight and their sounds faded once more. Her shoulders slumped in relief and her grip on her blade relaxed slightly as she lifted her gaze from the forest floor to rest her head back against the tree tru- "AH!"

Her fingers fumbled for a split second to tighten their hold before her blade cut through the air.

A spider had descended from the higher branches on a rope of silk.

Her blow should have killed it, but a misplaced foot on the branch made her stumble momentarily, and her aim was thrown.

The eight-legged monster screeched loudly and fell down onto the branch as she struggled to regain her balance. There were a few scary seconds where her breath caught and her mind went blank and her heart dropped, those few seconds of would she fall? Was this it, the end? 

But then she managed to catch herself and plant her feet firmly on the branch. Immediately she lundged forwards again, avoiding the creature's many scrabbling legs, with no other thought in her mind but to dispatch the creature before its screeches alerted others.

She drove her blade in deep and the creature finally stilled and went silent, leaving her with only the sound of her laboured breathing and blood rushing in her ears.

She staggered backwards slightly and slid down when her back made contact with the tree to sit on the branch.

She wasn't given long to recover. The screeching sounds of spiders had her startled into movement once more.

 

The further in she went the less of an option headed back was.

That was okay, because really, was there anything to go back to? The spiders had taken them: Bofur, Bombur, Nori and Balin and Bifur, Dori and Gloin, all of them - she had heard their shouts. She could only hope that they had somehow pulled off an escape, that they had been capture by a group of elves on the hunt for spiders. Unlikely, but she had to hope.

She made for whichever way the webs seemed to thicken, and left the odd spider body here and there on her path.

Back on the ground once more it was easier to fight than up in the trees: more stable footing, less danger of a fall and greater space to manoeuvre. Her lightness of foot meant that she was seldom heard, and the magical ring on her finger that had for weeks dwelt in her waistcoat pocket meant that she was never seen. However, she was sometimes sensed, and though the spiders could not pinpoint her exact position they could still run into her, and of course they would not miss anything floundering around in their webs, even if they could not see what it was. They also, though they could not see her, could see very well the dead bodies of any of their fellows she managed to dispatch, and the sight made them very angry. They knew something was about, just not exactly what.

The shadows lightened and glimpses of sky could be seen through the tops of the trees. But the forest remained grim and mostly silent and things for Bella continued much the same until she came upon it: a dense black shadow it looked like, a little way off ahead and to the right, and coming from it she heard the clicking of sharp pincers and the sound of movement.

She changed her course towards it.

There were a lot of spiders around now: they crawled everywhere, over every available surface. Their webs hung thickly from the trees, and by the time she had reached her heading they almost created a maze of sticky sheets of which to navigate through.

The shadow had been created by a thick patch of webs, a sort of central nest to this spider infested part of the woods. The webs started from the ground, but many were strung upwards and in the trees, creating a tunnel-ish dome of sorts at the top of which small patches of light from the sky could be seen between the dirty branches and webs. The nest was built around a clearing, though half the ground space was taken by an old fallen tree, which in turn was covered in webs.

A number of the giant ugly creatures gathered around, conversing in their thin creaking type of speech, and Bella hid behind a tree in fear of being discovered despite the ring that made her invisible to them.

"They're not half as fat as I would like." One of the spiders crawling down a nearby tree complained to the others.

Bella didn't like to hear them speak. She didn't like it one bit.

"Been feeding none too well lately, I should guess." Another hissed. "Kill 'em now, I'd say, and let 'em hang dead for a while."

It made sense that the creatures would have their own language by which to converse amongst themselves, all creatures probably had one. But that she could hear and understand them...it just seemed unnatural. Thorin hadn't understood them, so why her? No, no, she didn't like it. Did this mean they would understand her? She hadn't tried to communicate. ...Or did they understand all that spoke in common tonge, unknown to everyone else?

Bella's eyes found the place that the spiders' attentions appeared to be directed towards.

Several bundles were stuck in some of the closer to the ground webs. Bella had seen plenty before: the poor victims of the spiders, left wrapped in their sticky white funeral shrouds for later consumption. Most of them where the small bodies of squirrels and the odd song bird that must have been taken from high up at the top of the trees, for the company had not seen any birds since they entered the wood. Barely enough to call a mouthful for the giant spiders – these small catches were most probably not worth the effort they took, they were hardly a meal, and most it seemed were left hanging forgotten in the webs. Any larger catches were most likely eaten up quickly. Bella had seen elvish weapons strew about, and for her own peace at mind convinced herself that they had been left behind in the heat of battle, and that their owners had not met their end.

These bundles were different to what she had seen before though. They were large. Whatever the spiders had come upon had certainly been a pretty prize...

"They're dead now, I'd warrant, or not far off at least."

Bella gasped in horror as the dreadful realisation hit her - when she saw the bits of clothing poking out of the bundles. Tunic fabric of dwarvish make, a heavy boot, one of the flaps of Bofur's hat. She nearly screamed.

She would have done, if she could – but her breath only caught painfully in her throat, and she felt as if she might choke, and not even the sob that tried to force its way up made it out. Dead.

Dead, the spiders had said they were. They said that her dwarves were dead.

A dizziness took over her mind that had nothing to do with her recent lack of food and drink. Dead dead dead- "No, no. I saw one move just now, just coming round again."

Bella froze in her panic.

Coming around...not dead? Her heart lifted with hope.

A spider scuttled over to the largest and roundest of the bundles, and gave it a nip.

The response was immediate – there was a muffled yelp from inside, and then the dwarf within sprang into life and began a desperate struggling and kicking.

In fact, they put up such a struggle that the spider that had done the nipping was thrown off balance, and fell from the branch it was perched on, only catching itself by its own thread just in time.

The others laughed. "You were right! Still alive and kicking!"

Bella almost let out a breathless laugh herself. Still alive! Oh, thank Valar!

The spider grumbled and hissed. "Well, we'll soon fix that."

It began crawling its way back up. Bella saw that it was time to pull herself together and act. Or they would not be alive for much longer.

"That's the only one with any meat on it."

Without much of a thought she stooped to take a stone in her hand -there were many of them on the forest floor- and took aim.

Thud!

The rock struck the creature going for the dwarf -Bombur, she was pretty certain from the size and shape of him- on the head and it fell down to the ground, legs curled up and in a senseless daze.

As those spiders gathered hissed in shock she snatched up another stone and again- whack! A spider sitting on its web fell down, this time seemingly dead from the force of the hit.

As Bella gathered more stones a great commotion began to run through the group of spiders, and they forgot about the dwarves for a while in favour of finding whatever was throwing rocks at them. They could not see Bella of course, as has already been said, but they could make a reasonable guess as to where abouts she was from the direction of the stones that had been thrown.

Bella of course had enough sense to not hang about in one place, and though the spiders were quick to come running towards where they thought she was and fling their sticky threads, by the time they got there she had already slipped away to another place.

She wanted them all away from the dwarves. As far away as possible.

She riled them up a good bit, throwing stones and knocking them down and moving before they could catch on to her exact location. And, when she had the full attention of them all, she went running and dancing off between the trees, leading them gradually further and further away into the woods.

"Come on! After me! After me! I'm one fly you'll never catch!"

Practically all the spiders in the place went after her, all of them furious – partly because of the stones, partly because of the names she called them, and mostly because none of them was able to catch her and bind her up with their other prey.

And so began a game of chase, and on it went until Bella had reached the distance she felt was the furthest she could find her way back to the dwarves from.

She threw rocks, stamped and sung insults loud into the air to infuriate them further and keep them coming after her. Sometimes the spiders managed to get too close, and there was a desperate scramble to get out of the way. At other times they came at her from all different directions and she was forced to fight her way out of the trap.

Eventually, when she had gone as far as she dared, she hurled rocks and bits of woods and anything else she could get her hands on ahead of her into the trees and undergrowth, and danced out of the way of the spiders as they rushed past her after the noise. Then she stole away as quick as lightening back through the forest to the spiders' nest where the dwarves remained bound, her mind racing as fast as her legs over her spur of the moment plan.

She had little time, she knew, before the spiders would either realise what she had done or tire of the search in the absence of her jibes and good aim and come scurrying back through the trees to where the dwarves hung.

On her way back she skidded into a small group of spiders that had most probably come from a different part of the woods to see what all the commotion was about. The encounter did not last long. They did not see her coming, and weren't alive to see her leave. 'Attercop! Attercop! Down you drop!' She had muttered as she cut them down.

When she reached the nest she found the dwarves exactly as they had been when she left.

A spider was still there, left behind to guard the dwarves. It was busy pinching them, probably entertaining the idea of starting the feast early before the others came back.

As she clattered into the clearing it turned with a horrid creaking hiss which could be translated into a snarl, jaws clicking. She lobbed a stone at the hairy beast, catching one of its long legs and sending it to the ground where she rushed over to and made short work of it with her blade.

As soon as she was finished with it she found herself having to spin and deal with another running at her over the ground. It had been in a tree above her, and she had not noticed it, but it had seen its companion drop and go still and had rushed towards her with a screech, nearly nipping the back of her leg. She drove her sword right in its eyes, killing it swiftly, and quickly took a rough fighting stance in expectance that more of the creatures would come at her.

None did so however. Her eyes scanned the nest and saw nothing, and a silence met her ears.

They were all gone, every single one.

She stood in the middle of the empty nest (well, empty apart from the dwarves, but they did not seem to be conscious, so did not count).

She raised her sword in front of her eyes and inspected it. It was dirtied, stained black, though still glinted shiny silver in the dull light in places.

"I shall call you Sting." She said thoughtfully to herself.

Then she snorted, cleaned the blade off on the ground and put it back in its sheath. An elvish letter-opener, Balin had once called it. If this was an elvish letter-opener then she would much like to see what an elvish butter knife looked like, or an elvish tooth pick. She imagined they would make most formidable weapons...

It took her a minute to climb her way up to where the dwarves hung, and despite their position not being too far above the ground the climb was not a particularly easy one.

The first bundle she reached was relatively simple to get to, and hung more or less right over the thick branch she had climbed along.

Fili. She could tell from the scraps of clothing that had escaped the spiders' wrapping.

Bella called the dwarf's name but he did not stir, then gave the bundle a poke and got a weak response.

She set about working away at the sticky wrapping with determination, tearing the threads apart with her hands where she could, carefully using her blade to severe them where need be. She worked quickly, and soon was using her blade to cut the threads above the dwarf's head that kept him hanging suspended from a higher branch.

The young dwarf had awakened slightly due to her ministrations, and was in a half-conscious state. He struggled sluggishly against his bonds, though did not seem very aware of what was going on around him.

Somehow she managed to free him of the sticky silk despite his movements being more of a hindrance than a help. He only had a short distance to drop, about half a foot, and was awake enough that when his feet hit the wood she was able to safely lower him down to collapse on the branch she stood on.

He clung to the tree with both arms and legs, and moaned pitifully, looking rather sick and green, and did not appear to be in the condition to do much else. In fact he was barely remaining conscious. That could not be good...

She crouched beside him, and said his name again and tried to speak to him, but he did not seem to hear her or be aware of her presence.

Bella looked up from the young dwarf.

There was a lot of work to do and it needed to be done quickly, she was taking too much time, and it didn't look like she'd be getting any help from Fili for now. She left him clinging there and moved along the branch.

The next bundle presented a lot more of a challenge than the first. It was situated in a way that meant there was nothing for the dwarf that was broken out to cling to upon being freed – the poor dwarf in the bundle hung about a foot directly below the branch she had made her way along, suspended by a good number of doubly thick threads.

She didn't know how to deal with this, Bella thought as she got to her hands and knees and peered downwards. She considered moving on to try and find an easier prisoner to free.

But then, as the result of a closer inspection lying down flat on the branch on her stomach, she saw that there was significant damage to be seen to the wrapping of the bundle.

Indeed, it appeared as if the dwarf inside had already started to cut himself free.

Bella stared down. She saw a twitch of fingers.

"Nori?" She tried.

There was a moments silence, then there came from the bundle a weak relieved sounding chuckle.

"Yes, Mr Baggins? I thought it was you I heard..."

Bella nodded to herself and spoke more confidently than she felt. "I'm going to get you out."

But how Bella? How?

Luckily she didn't have to do anything, for the dwarf had practically sprung into action at the sound of her voice.

The dwarf moved, and it became apparent that he had already all but completely managed to free both of his arms. Hands came up to pull the webs from his eyes and mouth. "The spiders?"

"Gone for now." Bella watched as the dwarf worked, somewhat amazed. Those webs were thick, tight and strong and sticky...but then if anyone could get out it was Nori.

Thief, outlaw. She'd heard Dwalin call him many things. If you were going to live for any length of time on the 'wrong side of the law' so to speak, you would have to be good at what you do, Bella reckoned. You either needed to be very good at not being caught, or very very good at escaping prison. Actually, you probably needed both. Even the best probably got caught sometimes. Bella imagined Nori had been tied up and bound before, and had had practice at the art of escape. He certainly seemed to know what he was doing now, though she was reasonably certain this was the first time he'd ever been wrapped up by giant spiders.

The dwarf had had the sense to remain silent and still when he had first woken up in his bonds, and had somehow got ahold of his knives and begun cutting himself out. He had had to work slowly and subtly to avoid the notice of the spiders, and it had been difficult due to the fact that he couldn't see. To his fortune though almost all the attention had been fixed on poor Bombur, and whenever the spiders had gotten near to discovering what he was doing another member of the company had awoken and had made the mistake of making a noise and a struggle and had distracted them again.

"Below?" The dwarf brought his knees up to his chest and began cutting the threads that bound them together with his knives.

"Nothing. All clear, just leaf litter. It's three meters down, maybe a little more."

Soon the dwarf had pretty much full mobility, though was a rather odd sight to see still suspended in the air by the thick threads around his chest and back that kept him attached to the branch.

"Right." The dwarf steeled himself. "If you would be so kind, Bilbo..."

She cut the threads and he fell.

She didn't see how he landed, she closed her eyes as he dropped and it was a second before she managed to will herself to open them again. She imagined he had rolled to his feet somehow, because while he was standing when she opened her eyes he was unbalanced and in the process of stumbling backwards. His legs gave out and he ended up lying on his back in dirt staring up at her. ...Or at least where she should be.

He closed his eyes and gave a groan, and blinked a few times before looking back up. Bella had taken this time to hurriedly slip the ring off her finger and back into the safety of her pocket, and stared back down at him.

It hit her then that despite being a lot more with it than Fili just how unwell he looked. She glanced over at the first dwarf she had freed, who was just being to push himself up and look around in a daze. She needed to get them all out of here, as far from here as possible, the voice in her head told her for the umpteenth time.

She looked back down at the dwarf on the ground and he sent her a nod before getting shakily to his feet and setting a determined gaze up at the first bundle he set his eyes upon. He began to climb, and Bella moved off along the branch to reach the next dwarf.

And so they set about freeing the others, working away at them one by one. They rescued Bifur and Bofur, then Dori and Ori, and Dwalin and Oin. As each was freed they helped to release the others. Bella was relieved to see Fili stand and make his way over to help, she had worried for him.

None of them were very well off, they all looked terribly ill from spider poison. Most were greenish; some looked almost ready to throw up. They were dizzy and shaky and had legs like jelly. Some, like Kili, remained unconscious and wouldn't wake at first.

They worked and worked until they were all of them free apart from Bombur (who was in the process the being freed). Then Bella heard the voices in the trees she had been listening out for, and there came the sound of the movement of many multiple legged creatures through the forest.

They came scuttling back into the clearing, all rather irritated of course, and found to their great shock that their dinner had escaped it's confines.

The creatures were all very surprised for a moment, and halted in shock on the edge of the clearing.

Bella and the dwarves had frozen in the branches, or at least most of them had – someone must have moved to finish freeing Bombur, because the fat dwarf dropped down onto a branch and rolled straight off it, falling to the ground with a plop. Fortunately he landed in the leaves.

This, however, seemed to startle the spiders into action, and they hissed in anger before rushing forward.

Down the dwarves scrambled or jumped or dropped, some landing in a heap, shaky and little use on their legs.

Not all of them were in any shape to fight. Dwalin could, and Gloin and Bifur and Dori and Oin as well. Nori and Bofur could somewhat too, and Balin did his best. The three youngest dwarves and Bombur stayed in the middle of them all, and Bella led the battle.

The dwarves had been unaware and blind in the dark the first time the spiders had come for them, but with their dizzy heads they were hardly better off this time around. Still, they did their best, they had no choice.

Some of the dwarves, like Nori, had knives on them, and Dwalin still had his axes, but most had lost their weapons. Some armed themselves with sticks, and of course stones were available to them all. They fought with every last bit of ferocity they possessed, beating the spiders back and just about managing to keep them at bay. They slashed and whacked and threw, and many spiders were killed.

Bella darted around with her sword, waving it to and fro and taking down as many of the creatures as she could.

 

She didn't know how long they fought for.

To them there was nothing but the hairy legs of spiders, the powerful nipping pincers and the screeching cries.

Swing, stab, mind that spider, stab, stop that one from eating Bombur, swing- Bella's body worked on autopilot, there was no time to think, just to act.

Dwalin growled as he swung his axes, Bifur cursed loud for all to hear in ancient dwarvish, and Gloin did the same in common tongue. Oin fought in silence.

Rocks flew here and there, the odd one or two coming from Fili and Ori, but they were too weak to do much else. Bofur had begun the fight trying to throw stones at the spiders too, but it had quickly become apparent that his aim was nowhere near good enough in his dizzy state to be doing such (really there were so many spiders around that it should have been easier to hit one than to miss, but somehow he managed it almost every time). The dwarf had huffed in annoyance, picked up a stick, and had whacked an oncoming spider into the ground. Hitting things it seemed he was still able to do.

Stab, swing- "Ahh!"

Bella let out a cry as she fell to the ground, tripped over by thick sticky spider silk. She would have taken out the spider rushing towards her with a stroke of her sword, but a second later Dori was in front of her, sending a smashing blow into the creature with such a force that splinters of wood were sent flying.

Bifur pulled her to her feet and the fight went on.

The bodies of spiders began to pile up, but the creatures just seemed to keep coming as if they would never stop. There were too many, and soon Bella began to realise that they could not fight them all off, the dwarves were quickly beginning to tire.

She looked around as Oin beat back yet another of the hairy monsters, Dori taking out a second, and a third.

This wouldn't work.

It was becoming too much, she herself was exhausted, but the dwarves were beginning to make mistakes. They were growing too slow – there were a couple of close calls, and Bella had to make her decision.

"Run." She simply said, stopping Nori on her left from going forward into an attack, grabbing hold of him and keeping him back by her side.

She looked to Dwalin on her right.

"Take them!" Bella ordered over the noise, and she saw him falter. He knew this couldn't go on. It was getting harder to keep up with the spiders, to keep them away from Fili, Kili, Ori and Bombur, who they kept trying to drag off. They had started to come from different directions and to lower themselves down from the trees to try and jab them with their stings, and some had begun to weave their webs between the huge trunks in an obvious trap to keep them in the clearing.

"Run!" She pushed Nori behind her as she spoke, stepping forward with her sword to take on the enemy that should have been his.

Dwalin stared at her for a second and must have seen that she would not back down. He was forced to take care of an attacking spider, but when he looked back his expression had hardened.

He nodded to her, and she knew that he would lead the company away.

That was all she needed.

She slipped on the ring even while under his gaze and most probably the gazes of all those behind her, but was past the point of care, and turned to run through the spiders, her blade cutting her a pathway.

"Attercop! Attercop!" She called out, along with a number of other insulting things and curses, most of which she had learnt from members of the company, and slashed at as many spiders as she could as she went past them.

There was an immediate change in the spiders' behaviour.

Under normal circumstances they would have left a single being they could not see alone in favour of going after many more visible victims, but her actions earlier had changed that.

Most had not realised during the fight that she had been the one to play them around before, the battle had kept them too pre-occupied for such a recognition. But seeing her disappear in front of their very eyes and hearing her voice loud and clear left them with no doubt as to who she was, and they were many of them so very angry that they went for her without so much as a thought.

Well over half of them came after her straight away, and they pursued her much like they had earlier - as if they had learnt nothing from their previous failure.

Bella would later not remember much of what had happened then on, mostly she would just have vague memories of the black swarm that chased her. She would recall hazily doubling back several times to where the dwarves fought to hack at the spiders that prevented them from running and draw more after her until the company had been able to flee, and fighting so long that her arms ached and she thought she could not swing her sword even once more.

She remembered there being a numbness to her mind and a greyness to her vision, as if all colour in the world had been drained away, though she did not remember the tiny, near inaudible voice in her head that could possibly have not been hers.

She couldn't remember when she stopped fighting, when the terrible creatures came after her no more and silence fell around her. There must have been a time, but it almost seemed as if she had not noticed it when it came.

She did not know what she had been doing. Why had she not simply gone running back after the dwarves as soon as her fight was over? It was so absurd to think she had not. Why wouldn't she?

It was almost as if she had simply not had any thoughts for a time, like she had been half awake, sleep-walking but mildly conscious of doing so, and suddenly she had woken up.

She had recognised something of her surroundings, and it had come to her as clear as day that she had wandered back to the now abandoned spiders nest and was standing in the middle of it. It was obvious yet she had not known it.

There was not one spider around that was alive: they all now either lay dead or where elsewhere in the wood, keeping away from her and hopefully away from the company.

The company.

She had to find the company.

Bella yanked the golden ring from her finger -her sword was already away- and her mind seemed to clear and her senses sharpen again.

She blinked and shook her head a bit. Being invisible mustn't be very good for a person.

She slipped the ring into her pocket and was off through the woods after the company, hoping that the direction she followed would lead her to them.

The forest was vast. It was a fool's hope if ever there was one.

 

"Wait! ...Wait!"

Bella ran as fast as her legs would carry her, huffing and puffing and stumbling over tree roots.

She had been walking all day.

Actually, that was a lie.

She felt as if she had been walking all day. It had in reality only been two hours or so.

In that time the forest aound her had changed drastically. No longer was it dark and dull and dead looking, the trees around her now looked so full of life it was hard to believe how they had been before.

The forest was light and aired, and you could see the sky between the autumn yellow tree leaves. The air was cold, it was nearing the winter months of course, but the sun shone brightly. Everything was golden or orange: the colours the trees would be turning now back in the Shire.

It was...beautiful. Beautiful in a way that Bella had not thought it could be, yet in her present state she could not say she could even begin to properly appreciate it as she hurried on.

"Mr Baggins!"

A fools hope indeed.

Oin, at the back of the company, was the first to turn and notice her coming up behind them.

He called and waved, and as he did so the rest of the company ground to a halt as well, a number of them just staring in a dazed questioning sort of way, as if asking her where in the world she had been. The spider poison still had them pretty out of it, and their heads didn't think past simple things like 'fight' and 'walk'. A few of them didn't appear to have even realised she had ever been gone, and looked around the company blearily with confused frowns. Those who did still have a bit of wit about them sighed sighs of relief.

"Thank goodness." Oin stepped up to meet her, bringing his hands down on her shoulders to steady her as she came from a run.

"That's our hobbit!" Gloin slapped her on the back clumsily, voice slurred. "Knew yer'd pop up sooner or later!"

His patting moved to her arm. "Yer've got, yer've got..."

"Yer've got a stain on yer waistcoat..." He prodded a speck of black spider blood on the arm of her coat, neglecting to notice the bigger picture, which was that it was a little more than one small stain: she was practically covered in the stuff.

"Hm, yes, it appears so." Oin spoke to humour his brother with a slight shake of his head, but sent Bella a long suffering look as he did so, and turned his attention back to her. "Any injuries I should know about?"

"No," Bella shook her head. "No, I don't think so."

"I shall take your word." The medic gave a sigh and spoke quietly to her. "Lass, we'd be long dead if it weren't for you... Thank you."

Bella blinked and opened her mouth to speak.

"Yer've got black stuff on yer face as well." Gloin told her matter-of-factly in a slightly raised voice, annoyed at what he took as being ignored.

Oin gave a snort of annoyance.

"Oh." Bella rubbed at her cheek.

"Don't lick it. It tastes foul."

"What-?"

"What-!?"

Bella stilled and behind Gloin Nori wrinkled his nose.

"Brother, that is disgusting." Oin informed the red-haired dwarf, repulsion in his tone, and from somewhere behind him Bofur groaned weakly - "How do you know?"

The dwarf just shrugged, and after a few seconds Bella did the same, pushing it as far out of her mind as she could possibly manage.

She strode to the front of the group, resting a hand on Bofur's shoulder as she passed him supporting his brother with Bifur, and getting a squeak of "Mr Baggins!" from Ori, who appeared to be so out of it that he had not noticed her at all until then.

Her and Dwalin shared a nod, and led the company on.

 

They tread in silence through the wood.

They were all of them ill and tired, and the younger, smaller ones were worst off.

They all managed to get to where they needed to go – far enough from spider territory to relax some. They had staggered, slowly, and leaning on others for support. After Bella joined them they did not continue on for long.

There was no real decision made to stop: they were brought to a stand-still when Bombur, who had barely been awake and dragging his feet along the ground for a long while fell unconscious, and could not be held up by his brother and cousin. Once he'd been lowered to the ground the rest of the company were soon to sink to the floor as well.

Kili pretty much passed out as soon as he hit the floor, much to Bella's worry, and Fili sank to his knees beside his brother, eyelids drooping. Ori was also out like a light, and then Dori fell asleep, and then Balin. Bofur was a rather pale shade of green, as were many of the sick dwarves, and he fell asleep quickly at his brother's side.

Bifur muttered to himself as he fussed over the sleeping forms of his relatives, but did not do so for very long, and after briefly coming over to check on Bella went to sleep himself. It had been a very long night, and an almost as long a day.

There was no conversation except that held in mutters between Oin and Gloin, who stayed awake lying on the forest floor and keeping to themselves.

Bella dropped down to sit on a fallen branch next to Dwalin, who had already settled there to keep watch over the others, letting out a sound of utter exhaustion as she did so.

Dwalin was the most awake of all the dwarves. He was the largest of the company members after Bombur of course, and being larger meant that a dose of poison of the same quantity would not have as much effect as it would on a smaller dwarf, say Ori or Kili. And while the spiders had taken mind to dose Bombur as the largest with plenty of poison to keep him out, stinging him and prodding him due to his fatness, they had paid comparatively little attention to Dwalin. The warrior had not been dosed up any more than the smaller dwarves, and his body could better deal with it. It didn't mean he was well off at all though -he looked rather awful Bella would have to say.

He gave her a grunt of acknowledgement, though Bella did not have the energy to speak.

She buried her face in her hands briefly before looking up and surveying the company.

Fili, Kili, Ori, Dori, Nori? -oh there, Oin and Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Balin, Dwali-

Where was Thorin? 

Her half closed eyes snapped open and a cold feeling of fear and dread and panic poured over her like a bucket of ice water.

Thorin! 

She couldn't believe it- How could she not have- No-! No, no, no!

She was on her feet before she knew what she was doing, standing and ready to go and- well, she didn't know quite what she would have done. As it was Dwalin grabbed onto her arm before she made it more than two steps.

Bella tried to shake off his strong grip. "Thorin!"

Dwalin's confused expression changed to one of understanding.

He didn't let her go. "Thorin would probably kill me for letting you go now, if he hadn't already for what I let you do earlier."

"I have to-"

"No. You don't. Not right now. The compan-"

"You can-"

"No." He pulled her back down beside him. "Please, Mr Baggins!"

Please. Dwalin rarely used that word, and it brought Bella to her senses somewhat.

"Do not think I want anything more than to go off in search, but the forest is large and he could be anywhere within it, maybe miles away."

She had found them, twice. And Thorin before too. But looking around at the dwarves she knew he was right. She was needed here, not stumbling through the trees.

She couldn't go. And even if she did she would probably end up collapsing of exhaustion and not being of any help to anybody.

She sat very still and quiet for a time, and Dwalin didn't say anything more.

Bella's mind wandered, and she got so caught up in it that she did not notice when Nori staggered over to talk to them, having spent a time wandering the near area to check for any threats.

She missed whatever was discussed, only coming around at raised voices. Her eyes scanned the sleeping dwarves and found them all still, and then she turned to find a glaring contest going on to her left.

Dwalin and Nori were not fond of each other, but Nori usually knew to keep out from under the warrior's feet. Perhaps Nori's sickness made him more irritable, perhaps he was simply too tired and weak to care anymore whether Dwalin slugged him in the face, maybe Dwalin was just being an ass.

Thankfully whatever the disagreement had been neither of them seemed ready to make a move to start a fight, though they held their glares (which, while being nothing to laugh at, had nothing on Thorin's death glare).

Neither would back down, and Bella did nothing to intervene.

She watched mildly and waited as Dwalin began to twitch and fidget, fighting the urge to slouch, and the smaller dwarf struggled to keep his glare even as he began to sway on his feet, looking more and more ill by the second.

It had to end somehow, and in the end it did so by Nori passing out.

Dwalin caught him - rather shocked from the expression on his face. He looked to her, and she was ready with her words. "How much of that was your fault?"

A flicker of anger flashed in his eyes at her question...but then it seemed to leak away and was just replaced by tiredness. He shuffled his feet.

"Where should I put him?" He shrugged as a way of gesturing to the unconscious dwarf in his arms, at a loss as to what to do.

Bella glanced over to where Dori and Ori were curled up for a second. It barely made it through to her that Dwalin had been looking to her for instruction as if she were now leader in Thorin's absence.

"Just put him here." She said tiredly and motioned to the ground at her feet.

She stared a while at the dwarf that was placed on the woodland floor in front of her.

She had for a moment thought, while she was making her way though the woods after the dwarves, when the forest had lightened and become less strange, that maybe they would get out of Mirkwood afterall. But the encounter with the spiders had taken most all of the company's remaining strength... Hers was practically at its end as well. They had nothing left, no food or water. Nothing.

"What are we going to do, Dwalin?" She moaned mostly to herself and rubbed her eyes tiredly.

This forest had run them all into the ground.

The dwarf might well have opened his mouth to answer her, but by that time Bella was no longer hearing.

Her eyes closed and her face buried in her hands she heard something.

Not much of a something: a little something, easily passed off as nothing at all.

A light footfall perhaps it could have been. Just one slip of a usually silent step – it might have been.

Maybe it wasn't though, maybe it was nothing at all.

Bella's fingers fumbled in her pocket.

The quiet sound of moving leaves. It could have been a breeze above. It could have been... It could have been.

She disappeared in an instant, right in front of Dwalin's eyes.

She had not seen his face the first time she had vanished before him, had not seen the shock. But she watched it form now -that disbelieving look of surprise that came before he looked up and stood with a growl of rage as the elves sprang into sight.

He did not get even a step before several arrows thudded into the ground at his feet, halting any action he might have made.

The elves aimed their arrows down from the trees and the dwarf froze, silent, seething in anger. The woodland folk could do away with every one of them, there and then.

Most of the company didn't even wake, there was no fight to be had even if the elves or dwarves had wanted it. Upon realising this many of the elves lowered their weapons, though a fair few kept their bows drawn to ensure no trickery on the dwarves' side would make fools of them.

They needn't have worried, most of the company would have likely not tried to put up a fight even if they had awoken. They were tired of the forest, some may have welcomed capture. It meant a chance, an uncertainty. The forest meant death of starvation and thirst.

Only Gloin, who had apparently been somewhat awake still, sprang to his feet (if a bit shakily) with a roar.

Before he had even fully straightened an elf was before him and a sharp arrow inches from his nose.

"Do not think I will not kill you, dwarf!"


	37. Chapter 37

Gloin froze as still as Dwalin, the expression on his face murderous.

"Who dares wander so far into the woodland kings' realm without leave? State your name and purpose in these parts." The elf did not lower his arrow.

All around the elves in the trees dropped to the ground, armed with their bows and spears and silver knives. They stayed silent and still, and watched the speaker of their group as he stood before the red-haired dwarf.

Bella watched too with baited breath, praying that-

"Give me your name, elf, and I shall give you mine."

Bella suppressed a groan, eyes closing in dread.

...That exactly that wouldn't happen.

The speaker, without a doubt the leader of the group of elves, was not impressed.

He was a strong figure with an air of importance about him, light haired and fair faced. He had addressed them first with only slight distain in his voice and notable dislike on his face, for he was not overly fond of dwarves in general of course, and he did not favour trespassers into the realm of his King. Still, he had regarded them as he would if they were of any other race, impassive as he could be when faced with dwarves. Though he had spoken demandingly he had spoken civilly, something a dwarf in his place would not do. Gloin's stupid words had vanished that civility in the blink of an eye.

Immediately the elf's eyes were cold and dangerous, and his icy tone took on a threatening quality as he glared down at the dwarf. "Unless you are to answer my questions you would do well to remain silent. I hold well to my word, dwarf."

Gloin glared and looked like he was teetering on the verge of spilling forth a torrent of filthy curses, but much to Bella's relief he did not open his mouth and say something to further anger the elf. He kept all that he'd like to say grudgingly to himself.

After a few moments of waiting to see if either the dwarf he had addressed or the one standing nearby would answer passed in silence the elf sharply turned his back on them and began to walk away.

Bella saw how Gloin tensed as he was dismissed in such a way: as if he posed no threat whatsoever and held no standing on the situation. It was an insult to his pride, and his anger was fuelled by the knowledge that here, here and now, he truly wasn't a threat.

Dwalin looked no happier.

The elf spoke orders to his patrol which were quickly followed without question.

"Wake them, get them on their feet and bind them. We take them to the king."

And so the unaware company was awoken from their slumber. Eyes opened blearily and looks of utter confusion spread over exhausted faces as they were each hauled to their feet, half conscious and a good many of them in a state of shock at what was happening. They struggled weakly in their confusion and fear, and a pang went through Bella's chest as they twisted and turned with wide eyed panic.

The fair elf turned to spare a glance at where Gloin and Dwalin stood, and addressed them momentarily.

"You are our prisoners now, and are as such prisoners of Thranduil." He spoke evenly as he watched them be tied.

"I am Legolas, Prince of the land you now trespass in. You may deny to answer me here, it matters little as my actions shall not be changed either way, but you will answer to the King. I suggest you rethink your replies before then, for they will not be brushed off so lightly."

And so they were all of them bound (all except Bella of course), hands tied with elvish rope behind their backs and their obvious weapons taken from them.

With that they were pulled along and away through the woods in a long line, elves on either side and in front and behind, and every dwarf looking glum.

Bella waited a few moments before following behind at a suitable distance.

She glanced up at the sky and hesitated. Thorin was still out there, unless the elves already had him or he had fallen into the spiders' grasp. It was with a dull numbness and a heavy heart that she carried on through the forest.

To the halls of the Elvenking, it seemed, was where her path was to lead her next.

 

Thankfully the elves did not hear her or sense her presence, and she followed them for many a mile without being noticed at all.

They travelled slowly – the dwarves did not have the strength to walk very fast, for which Bella was grateful, as neither did she. They just plodded on and on, for much too long on too little energy, until finally they came to the King's palace.

It rose up high above the trees, a hill of unworked rock on to which guard posts had been built. On it trees grew, and they twisted around and in and out of it, their vast trunks built into the walls themselves in places.

An entrance way of sorts clear of trees led to tall gates, which were opened at their approach, and to walk through the gates one first had to cross a wide bridge over a swirling river. Bella spent a moment too long looking down, nearly not slipping through the gates in time before they slammed shut after the group.

Inside was not what Bella had imagined at all, but then she was not too sure what she had been imagining, and had only thought briefly of Rivendell – it was the only experience of elvish living she had ever had. The home of the Wood elves, of course, was quite different from the house of Lord Elrond.

Bella almost stumbled, all her breath was knocked out of her at the sight, and she had to stop and gaze in awe.

Before her spread a giant cavern, an endless wonder that stretched on as far as the eye could see.

It was constructed of rock and wood, and lit by the sunlight that streamed through openings in the cave walls and ceiling.

A giant network of caverns naturally hollowed, supported by tall pillars sculpted by the elves that rose to the roof. Bridges of stone and huge fallen tree trunks created walkways, and below them water that had escaped and taken different paths to the main river rushed and fell over the rocks. The carvings decorating the pillars and bridges were not detailed as such, but twisted as if they were the roots of trees turned to stone, and made the whole place seem very much a living part of the forest. From the high ceiling hung lamps to shed what light the sun could not bring; they burned like stars and cast an orange glow that seemed to warm the air despite the cold chill of autumn.

Bella had to shake herself not to fall behind.

They were led over bridges, by a large fall that left Bella's face damp with the spray of the water, up long flights of stone stairs that took them through the walls of rock that separated cavern from cavern. On they were marched, far into the Elvenking's palace.

The passages twisted and turned, though were wide enough for many to pass at once. Elves making their own ways through the palace ran into them on their trek, bowing their heads to the leader of the group and sending the dwarves odd looks as they went by -watching out of the corners of their eyes but not stopping to stare or even slowing their pace.

It seemed like a long journey, though it probably wasn't so far at all. The place was enormous -it made Bella feel, once more, very small. So very very small.

The further in to the halls the more like a dwelling that was lived in the place became. The passages became more connected, closer together - more linked, like the hallways of a house. The stone walls became smoother, meeting elves in the corridors became more common. At the end of passages leading off from the one they walked along Bella caught glimpses of doors that lead to rooms, and when a side of the passage opened up and allowed her to look across a cavern to its other sides she saw balconies and elves standing on them.

Soon though, for all of Bella's fascination, things began to pass in a blur.

Further and further: they were in front of large doors, led into a giant hall, brought to stand before the throne of the woodland King.

And suddenly there he was: Thranduil, the ruler of Mirkwood.

 

The elf that slouched (gracefully slouched, but slouched none the less) upon his throne spared them an almost disregarding glance, unsurprised it seemed at their appearance, and the leader of the group of elves that had brought them there stepped forward to speak quiet words to him that Bella did not attempt to overhear.

He was a cold figure, Thranduil, with a face seemingly blank of all emotion and an icy gaze that inspected those brought before him and missed nothing. Sat upon a seat of complexly carved wood that resembled the great antlers of a giant beast, and on his head a crown of autumn leaves, his presence filled the entire hall.

He was tall, imposing, with light hair and blue eyes and a face fairer and younger than it should have been for all his years and for all the horrors he had seen over them. He did not possess that air that Lord Elrond had, that air that spoke of wisdom, but his face held an intelligence, and his gaze a surety that told of many hundreds of years of experience of the world and knowledge of what it could bring. A boldness that did not seem unjust, a firmness, he appeared unmoveable to all around him.

He addressed them, and his voice -strong and steady and clear- reached Bella's ears...but she did not hear his words.

...So this was how a King looked, with his kingdom and his throne and crown. 

Regal, dignified...

The head of the patrol that had captured them stood at the side of the King's throne and observed. Legolas, Prince of Mirkwood. Indeed, he held quite a resemblance to his father, though their difference in age was clear in their manner.

She did not catch most of what the Woodland King said, and truth be told neither did the dwarves.

Thranduil asked them what they were doing in his forest, why they had entered it at all, what their purpose was.

He was met with shoulders slumped in exhaustion, dull eyes and weak expressions of dislike.

No one spoke until Balin - tired and weary and looking so so very old - stepped forward and answered.

He said nothing of the quest: not of Erebor, or Thorin, or the dragon. Only that they were lost, they were hungry -starving even, and that they would soon died of it if thirst or sleep deprivation did not get them first.

But what were they doing in the forest in the first place? The questions came. Where were they going? What business did they have?

They had just been passing through, then the spiders had attacked them. They had been captured, taken unawares, and had barely escaped with their lives.

The same questions were asked again, worded differently.

What started as demands for information easily mistaken for simple queries turned into direct interrogation.

The King's voice remained even and controlled, though behind his expression of calm and collectedness Bella could sense he was becoming increasingly irritated as he received the same replies over and over. The questioning was coming to a close.

Indeed, he asked once more where they were going, and this time Balin didn't even try, just remained silent. The old dwarf looked up at the Elvenking and the King looked back down at him. They had both had enough, and both knew that they would get nowhere like this.

Bofur muttered something about inbreeds on his mother's side and being very late -they really should get going now-

"Enough."

Thranduil's voice rang out, and this time a hint of frustration escaped in his tone. Bella looked up to him greatly for having held it so long.

He turned and spoke to his guards, giving them orders to take the dwarves to separate cells and to keep them there until one at least was ready to see sense and provide him with some answers.

With the clear dismissal the dwarves were pulled out of the throne room and back into the passages. The dwarves huffed and attempted to shrug off the elves' grips, indignant at such treatment, but ultimately failed in the act.

They were led away, even deeper into the caves where light came mostly from lamps and not from the Sun -this time they seemed to be heading downwards.

The winding passageways became more and more thicker walled, and the doors changed from wooden ones to the metal barred ones of dungeon cells.

The dwarves were locked in individual cells as Thranduil had wanted, and not in the same place: the guards hauled them down different corridors, having been given orders to keep them apart and so unable to converse among themselves.

Bella faced a dilemma as the group was split, for who did she follow? She worried for them all, and even though she very much doubted the elves would do them any harm she did not like it when the dwarves were taken out of her sight. It was hard watching them disappear and not being able to follow them all.

The separation of course did not go down well among the dwarves, but most went quietly without a word or a struggle.

Bella thought Dori might break something (specifically an unfortunate elf) when they led Ori away from him. His fists clenched so tight his knuckles turned white. But then he let out a breath and his shoulders slumped once more and he stayed silent.

There was little fight put up except that of Fili and Kili when they were pulled away from each other.

Elves were not cruel, not even to their prisoners, but it was awful to witness the youngsters being separated. They clung to each other and all of a sudden found the energy to scream and shout, and Bella felt as though her heart was torn to pieces as she watched the brothers. A wave of angry hatred rose in her towards the elves and towards herself as she looked on and did nothing.

She stood there numbly even after they were gone, unable to shake herself to move for many a moment.

What a fine mess they had gotten in. 

What a terrible nightmare.

She wanted to open her eyes and wake up to find she was back on the path in the forest, with the company and Thorin all there, and to realise that every event of the last few days had never happened. To wake up to a day of walking ahead and to round a bend in the path to find that they were out of the trees, that they had made it through Mirkwood and that her nightmare would remain only a dream.

She had ended up wandering after Oin, and not too long later found herself standing in front of the bars of his cell, staring in at the dwarf who knew nothing of her presence.

The elves had left, though she did not think it safe to slip off the ring however much she itched to do just that so that she could speak to the dwarf face to face (as opposed to face to thin air, as it would have to be).

Her voice understandably caused the dwarf a great deal of surprise, and she saw him jump slightly from where he had settled himself on the mattress in his cell.

"Lass? Miss Baggins?" His voice was an incredulous whisper, and he moved to his feet to come and stand in front of the bars.

He gazed out into what he saw as an empty corridor and looked left and right.

He stood directly in front of her and yet looked straight through her. It made Bella feel very odd, and she quickly came to hate it.

She cleared a lump in her throat and spoke. "I'm here, but I can't let you see me now, lest the elves come back and lock me up like the rest of you."

He flinched away from where her voice came at first, though relaxed when he was assured that he was not imagining her words -that she was invisible, yes, but very much there.

He understood that she had to keep out of sight, and was glad that she was there. He had worried she had been left behind in the woods.

"I should go and find the others." Bella said fretfully. "I must make sure they are all alright."

Oin sighed a weary sigh. "I am sure they will be, though I worry for them too... remember to think of yourself also, Miss Baggins."

She gave a tense nod of her head before remembering it could not be seen and giving a quiet noise of acknowledgement.

With that she was off.

She hurried along the passageway, coming to a swift halt near the end as an elf turned the corner.

Bella took a sharp breath and plastered herself to the wall, watching with baited breath as the elf strode past her carrying a tray and jug.

It still amazed her somewhat that the elf walked straight by without noticing her at all.

She hurried to the corner when the elf was safely away, pausing momentarily to look back. She saw the elf stop outside Oin's cell, and it relieved her greatly to know that he was being provided with food and water.

When she found Bofur food and water had already been placed inside his cell by the elves.

The miner was quickly drawn to the door by her voice, though stood with an expression on his face that plainly said he thought he was going mad, and did not reply to her no matter what she said to convince him otherwise until she took hold of his hands through the bars. The disbelief in his expression was a picture, and he spluttered in shock for a few seconds before a happy grin worked its way onto his face.

He asked a lot of 'How?s' at first, excited with the knowledge that she was standing right in front of him, though he could not see her, and was alive and...err, yes, alive. She most definitely was not well, but she was as well as could be hoped.

Quickly though the questions died down, for Bofur was rather good at noticing when someone did not wish to or did not know quite how to talk, and he instead offered Bella a share of his food and held his water up to the bars for her to take. He watched in wide eyed wonder as the jug disappeared in her grasp, though she ignored the look on his face in favour of gulping down water to sooth her parched throat.

A silence went on between them as she drunk and ate what of his food she had allowed him to give her. The dwarf all the while watched the empty space where he knew she must be, and the quiet persisted after she had finished and began to feel she must move on to find the others.

She lingered there with Bofur for longer than she had planned and she felt a nagging pull in her chest. She had to check on the rest of them, Fili and Kili...but she was tired. So very very tired and she could have fell asleep there and then. It had been so long since she had slept. Her eyelids felt as if they were heavy weights...

No! Bella shook herself.

She couldn't just fall asleep in the middle of the passageway to later be tripped over by an elf!

"I will come back, as soon as I can." She hurried to get to her feet, but hesitated as she saw his expression drop.

He covered it quickly but Bella knew he dreaded being left alone in his cell. "I-"

"Do not worry for me." He must have sensed her indecisiveness.

"Check on the others," He urged. "And don't forget to take care of yerself as well."

Bella snorted as she turned her back. "To do that I have already been reminded."

She next found Bombur asleep in his cell, and mused to herself that he would not have been had he only known that food lay within his reach.

The dwarves it seemed were to be well cared for. It was as Oin had said and she had hoped.

She left the fat dwarf snoring on the floor of his cell.

Bella wandered for a while after that. She did not happen across anymore of the dwarves' cells, but she began to feel at ease the more that she thought about it that they would be okay. They could deal with this: dwarves were strong afterall, perhaps the hardiest of all the races in middle-Earth.

Those that she had seen were unharmed by the elves, it was unlikely those which she hadn't were. Yes, her tired mind told her with certainly, they would be fine.

And so when she happened upon a dark corner where she would not be stumbled upon by an unsuspecting wood elf she did what Oin and Bofur had urged her to do and thought of herself.

The dwarves were not going anywhere it seemed, not for a long while if they remained as stubborn as they had always been. They would be able to wait for her a few hours...

Curling up to sleep on the hard rock floor she let her eyes drift closed, and was without mind for a very long while.

 

A good time later Bella woke from her slumber feeling cold and empty.

Her dreams had been grey and lifeless, and when she woke she found her wakefulness was not much different. The magical ring on her finger seemed to drain the colour from the world.

She was also very hungry. What food Bofur had shared with her before had been a start, but not enough to dent such an extended hunger.

With food on her mind she set off through the passageways, and after a while she came across a store room where she found food. She knew that she had to care for herself. The dwarves may not be happy but they were safe and being fed and given drink, could finally rest. As they needed to regain their strength so did she.

A few hours of poking about through different store rooms and corridors satisfied her stomach and a good bit of her curiosity, and feeling much more well and happier she moved on to searching for the dwarves.

And she found them, every single one over the course of the day.

It had been around noon when she had awoken, though this she did not know. She had worked out it was daytime -the passages were lighter than they had been when she fell asleep, and more elves were about. Before the end of that evening she had seen all twelve of the company in the cells.

First she had come across Dwalin in the process of breaking the tray his food had been delivered on into pieces. The displeased dwarf was rested enough to be very angry, and sat in a corner seething silently as splinters of wood fell to litter the floor around him.

Then she had found Bombur's cell again, and this time he was awake and his food gone to the last crumb. From there she had found Bofur, but had taken a wrong turn trying to backtrack her way from the previous day to Oin, and instead had found his brother Gloin.

She had, while avoiding an elf, discovered Ori's cell. The young dwarf had been quietly clutching his book far from the door, but she left him later standing at the bars and smiling.

Not long after Ori she came by the youngest of his brothers and Balin and again saw Oin.

She found Fili half asleep, but had woken him with her whispered shouts of his name long enough to convince him that she was there and she had seen many of the others and that they were okay. He asked about Kili and she could not answer.

Bifur was hard to convince of her presence, and his raised voice spewing ancient dwarvish had almost brought the elves running, but she got there in the end.

By the time she got to Dori the passages had begun to darken. She had assured him at his incessant questioning that both his brothers were fine. Ori had his book and was comfortable enough and Nori had already attempted to pick the locks. She watched as the tension ran from his body and his hands fell from where he had been squeezing the bars of his cell. She was not sure if it was the light or if he had in fact bent the metal ever so slightly with his grip.

Kili she found last, and he immediately inquired after Fili. She was happy to be able to inform him his brother was better than he had last seen him.

That night she slept as heavily as the last.

 

From then on the days went by each the same as the next. She stole food for herself from the elves' stores, visited the dwarves, and slept in dark corners.

With time the dwarves recovered from their time in the forest - provided with food and drink and having nothing really to do but rest.

Slowly but surely they were back to themselves. They gained their strength once more along with some of their fight. Though no knowledge of Thorin kept their spirits from rising too high, it gave them hope that there was someone outside of the cells at their aid.

They thought that she would come up with a way of escape, Bella knew.

She spent many hours talking to the company members - they looked forward to seeing her, and of course spent their days waiting for her to visit to get news and for the companionship. None of them really got over the whole invisible thing though, and most now believed hobbits possessed some kind of magic.

She sat with Bofur often. During the day they would joke and throw comments back and forth, though they seldom laughed at their words, and their talk would sometimes halt suddenly when a guard neared, only to start up again once they were safely out of ear shot. At night Bella would blabber away to herself about this and that and nothing the dwarf hadn't heard before. Bofur would half listen to her words in silence, and when he fell asleep she would carry on to herself for a while longer, then stand and leave and creep off to wherever.

When she could she stole extra food from the kitchens and store rooms for Bombur and smuggled it though the bars of his cell. She reasoned he needed it: he had been hit perhaps hardest of them all by their recent lack of food.

She spent many an hour discussing the idea of escape with Nori, though they came up with nothing.

Bella began to memorise approximately how often guards would pass by the dwarves' cells.

They did not do so too often, in fact very rarely when not to deliver food or water, and almost never at night. They knew the dwarves could not get out, and so had no reason to check up on them.

It meant she was at less risk of being caught. It also would have helped with escape. If only she had a way of getting the dwarves from their cells...and they had a way to get out of the palace undetected once she had...and then out of the forest...

Still, despite the lack of any kind of plan to get away, she was exceedingly thankful for the elves' stand-off approach: it was safe to talk to the dwarves, as long as she kept half an ear out, and for all of their sanities they needed some sort of contact between them all.

Physically the dwarves had recovered. Mentally? Some were not so good.

They were all rather alone, and Thorin's fate weighed heavily on all their minds.

After the initial drive to eat from starvation Fili began to leave his food untouched, and stared at it as if the thought of eating made him sick.

Bifur took a turn for the worst three days in, and many of them didn't sleep at night.

Nori hid his nightmares, Dwalin smashed his water jug against the wall, Dori worried a lot.

Kili was hit one of the hardest.

Alone in a cell in an unfamiliar place after the events of the forest, separated from his brother who had always been there to watch over him, so young... Bella knew he believed his uncle dead, and she saw the redness around his eyes whenever she visited him and knew he cried.

They sat back to back at the bars of his cell one night and Bella listened to him sob quietly with his face buried in his arms and his knees tucked up to his chest like a child. Her mind was oddly detached from any sort of thought, but every noise he made was an agonising stab to her heart and she wondered if this was like what a parent felt to hear their child cry with such a pain.

After he had fallen asleep that night and she had managed to walk away she did not know what to do with herself. She wandered and watched Ori scribble in his book without announcing her presence.

As said she spent a lot of time with all the dwarves, she bore witness to their woes and their worries. She observed them in fits of anger, caught more than one talking to themselves so as not to be subjected to silence, and she knew she would never speak of it.

She made sure she saw each of them at some point during each day, but the one of them that she spent most time conversing with was Balin.

The old dwarf was good for stories, he knew many that she did not, and was generally willing to tell.

He remembered life in Erebor before the dragon had attacked, and so normally that was what she would ask to hear about. He was not of the mood to talk of the mountain however, while he was locked away in Thranduil's dungeons many leagues from it.

Bella knew that there had been disagreemants between some elves and dwarves, who the elves accused of stealing their treasure. She also knew, from what Gandalf had told her, that if asked the dwarves would give a different account: that they had only taken what was rightfully theirs, and that the elf-king had owed them pay. She thought it sad that alliances and old friendships could be lost over wealth, for what did hoarded treasure bring one? Nothing hobbits valued at least. While some in the Shire had a lot of money and others not so much, it had never affected anything that truly mattered. She did not know what it meant to elves and dwarves, but for the dwarves it had brought a dragon and she knew what she thought of that.

Regardless, Balin did not want to talk of the great dwarf kingdom.

He was eager, however, to hear of how she turned invisible, and so once she had found the right words to tell the tale she told him of that.

She spoke of how she had fought in the goblin caves and had ended up falling off the path and into a lake far below. She told him that she had been rescued from drowning by a mad creature which called itself Gollum, and how it had had the intention of eating her.

When she got to the game of riddles the old dwarf wanted to hear every one, and then she told him of the ring and finding her way out of the caves.

Balin was fascinated by the whole thing, and made her tell it all again leaving out no detail, and when she was done he shook his head slowly in disbelief.

"Well I never..." He said. "Well I never..."


	38. Chapter 38

Thranduil did not summon them over the passing days.

It occurred to Bella that he would not call for them, that if they wished to speak they would have to request to see him. He was a King afterall, he didn't call on others.

But the dwarves would not request to talk with him, for they would not give up knowledge of their quest to an elf.

Thorin was the only one they believed had right to tell anybody and he was not there. They knew very well he would not have wished the information disclosed, so would keep their mouths firmly closed despite their misery.

…Thorin.

The dwarf was never far from Bella's thoughts these worried constantly.

The welfare of all the company plagued her mind, but for those first days in the Elvenking's dungeons she had busied herself with taking care of those she had present to attend to. She had been so focused on them.

After a time though her fears for their health faded and the fear she felt for the leader of their company surfaced.

Her thoughts were plagued by terrible ideas, for she very well knew there was a good likelihood the dwarf was dead. Certainly he couldn't have survived in the forest for so long without food even if he had escaped the spiders and the elves.

She hoped beyond hope that he had been snatched up by the elves and not by the spiders while she had lay unconscious in the forest that night. It was one of those desperate hopes she held on to at night when the dark got to her and her mind went too far. Maybe, maybe... But Thranduil had said nothing of another dwarf, and she had seen nothing despite spending days in the dungeons.

Dead, most likely.

Thorin. Dead.

It sounded so wrong. Thorin was the leader of their quest - he couldn't die, they needed him. He had always seemed so strong, almost invincible. That he had been left behind in a forest and had died there alone unknown to anybody...that was not how the great tales Bella knew ended. Kings didn't die that way.

...But he was mortal just like the rest of them, and his defeat at the hands of Azog had only confirmed that to Bella. Being important didn't make you immune, being a King by name didn't give you special power to avoid death. No matter how untouchable you seemed you died as everybody else did one day, no one could cheat death, not even the hardiest of all.

Whether he was dead or not he was out of her sight and gone from her everyday life. She had gotten used to him being there, and now that he was missing there was an emptiness in his place.

He had become a friend, though they had not had the best of beginnings. He was dear to her, dearer than she had perhaps believed when he had simply been there and she could take his presence for granted.

It was odd, like a part of her was gone, though that idea seemed silly.

He was now a friend, and she wanted him back.

She missed him.

But Thorin was certainly not all that she had to worry about: the ring on her finger certainly did her no good.

She was sure that it was what made her dreams so dark, but she found herself debating whether it took the colour from the world or from her vision. Was it the things around her that it changed, or her view of those things?

It made everything dull, grey and drab, blended in until it was all the same. Nothing was different, it was all colourless, lifeless, and because nothing was different things seemed to lose importance.

Not even the dwarves seemed to be able to pierce though the haze. As time went on they seemed to become more and more distant to her. Their voices sounded as if from far away, and their faces looked like those of strangers. She held on to their names – Fili, Kili, Bofur, Nori...

Everything was grey except for the ring – it was a precious glimmer of colour in a world without colour. It was something to hold on to, to cling to, to remember how the world used to appear with. A world where one could feel. It seemed like a link to sanity at times, but all the while Bella feared it, for she was scared that it was the opposite. It terrified her, because she could sense that it was alive and that it was not good. It was a dangerous thing, and she wanted it away from her. She feared it would drive her mad like the creature she had taken it from.

But she needed it, and she could not take it off.

 

Most of her time in the palace was miserable.

Bella had not tried to count the days that had gone by since they had first entered the Elvenking's halls. She knew it must have been many.

A burglar now she definitely was, but she couldn't get away and so had to go on miserably burgling the same place day after day.

The dwarves also had a miserable time. They got dreadfully bored.

Some, could entertain themselves.

"Why must you do that?" Bella asked Dwalin one day as he yet again destroyed the tray his food had been deliver on. The dwarf shrugged and said "Why not?"

Others, however, could not.

"I'm so boooooored!"

Bella spent a great deal of time scurrying back and forth carrying messages between dwarves to keep them in contact and entertained (as Kili put it: making sure they didn't die of boredom). She didn't mind it at all, it kept her occupied. Messages were sent between brothers and kin, from Dori to Ori and from Dwalin to Balin to Fili and Kili.

Most of what she carried were private jokes that she did not understand, or else sentimental recollections of past times. She did not care that she did not understand most of what she recounted through the bars of the cells. She drew a line at some things though. Specifically she drew a line at carrying one worded insults back and forth between Oin and Gloin. As amusing as it had been at first she had soon tired of it.

When she didn't carry the dwarves' messages she simply spent time with them.

Balin wanted to engage in a game of riddles having heard her story of her experience in the goblin caves. Bella was not at the best of her game, but most of the ones the old dwarf knew she had heard before.

She let Gloin talk to her for hours about his wife and son, but didn't hear a word. She had a feeling he knew she didn't listen, that her mind was elsewhere, but he said nothing of it. He probably didn't particularly care: he just wanted to talk with someone around. He wanted to talk of them. He loved them, more than anything. Bella envied him in secret. She didn't have what he had.

The elves above continued with their lives.

They generally seemed a happy lot, when not faced with spiders or trespassing dwarves.

Bella watched them sometimes when she had simply had enough of the dungeons and of dwarves. She would admit to having followed more than one around.

She had taken to exploring the upper passageways and rooms, which were a lot lighter and alive. She had entered the Elvenking's throne room, had stood by the falls, once or twice snuck into the private rooms of elves to steal a comb to drag through her hair and to stare in silver mirrors and see nothing but an empty room.

Once or twice she had slipped out of the gates as they were closed with a 'Clang!' behind a leaving hunting party, but once she was out of the palace all she did was stand on the bridge at the edge of the wood and stare out lostly.

She couldn't search for Thorin. The forest was so big, she didn't have a clue where he might be, and she feared getting lost out there and leaving the company locked in the cells to wonder what had befallen her.

So she stood and stared, until the gates were opened once more and she would be allowed to slip back inside to the dungeons.

 

While snooping around the palace Bella found out many things, one of which was of upcoming celebrations.

They were to be held the night after next, and were to be a big event, for they were to celebrate the stars those light was what the elves loved best.

The elves working in the storerooms were kept busy re-arranging and checking goods in preparation for the night. Bella watched them work and took what opportunities arouse to snatch up bits of food while they were distracted. It was easy pickings, she just had to make sure to keep out from under their feet.

She had gotten more and more bold with taking things she needed over the days in the dungeons. Her confidence with doing so had increased immensely. They couldn't see her, and she could step so quietly when she wished that they did not hear her either. 

She kept small with what she took so the good's disappearance was easily passed off by the elves.

...Well, she usually kept small.

At some point on the day before the day of the party she thought to herself that she deserved to take part in the celebrations also, and in a moment of daring stole two bottles of some elvish drink - the stuff she heard them complain was weak and so reckoned would not be missed.

She slipped out of the storeroom clutching them tightly, praising herself for her success and berating herself for such a stupid idea.

Bella quickly made her way through the passageways, not stopping once and collapsing back against the bars of a cell when she reached her destination. She sighed and slumped.

Stupid. Bella, you fool...

Reaching behind her to set a bottle on the floor inside the cell, she then went to open the one she kept in her grip. She didn't normally drink much, but oh well...

As she worked at the cork she caught the shuffle of movement behind her.

"Miss Baggins?"

"The one and only." Bella said dully. She was not really in the mood to talk. In fact, she was not in the mood to do anything much but drink.

She heard the 'clink' of the bottle as Dori picked it up to inspect.

"Elvish?" He inquired.

"Not their best, but it will do I suppose."

The dwarf hesitated before sitting down so that they were back to back at the bars as all the dwarves had become accustomed to doing. Apparently it served to remind them that they were not just going mad and talking to themselves to be able to feel there was something more there than they could see.

He heaved a sigh. "Are we drinking for any particular reason?"

"Haven't we enough reasons?"

"More than enough, Miss Baggins," He gave a shake of his head. "More than enough."

Bella took her first swing of the foreign liquid without giving it prior inspection, and its strength immediately shocked her. She gasped. If this was the weak stuff then what was the strong stuff like?

She took smaller sips from then on. She couldn't afford to be completely out of her senses. Dori drank quicker than she did, but he could likely hold it better being a dwarf and more used to drinking.

"Are they well?"

"Who?"

"Them. Ori." Dori swished the liquid around in his bottle.

"...And Nori." He added.

"Yes." Bella nodded. "I must have said so only this morning, and many times before then."

"I never believe it."

Bella turned her head back at the dwarf's words. "You do not trust me?"

"I trust you. But they..." Dori paused and shook his head. "I need to see them to calm my fears, you must understand."

Bella said nothing. She could understand, in a way.

A silence prevailed.

"I am sorry, Miss Baggins." Dori said at last with a heavy sigh. "I have been unfair to you these last weeks."

Bella hummed to herself. "I was not truthful with you."

"I imagine you had reason."

Bella opted to drink instead of answer, and for a time a silence fell between them. She tucked her knees up to her chest and ducked her head.

It had been so many months since she had left the Shire.

So much had happened since then.

How far they had come. How things had changed.

The rolling hills and green fields seemed a world away...

She remembered very well that day she had left her house behind for the twelve dwarves and their stubborn rude irritating leader and the promise of adventure.

Now they were here, all expect one, having faced things she would have never have thought they could face and get away alive.

No one could say she had hidden away for her entire life now, no one could say she had given up and shut herself up in her home under the hill. No one could say she wasn't Belladonna Took's daughter.

Her father would have been horrified to learn of the things that had transpired on her travels.

He wouldn't have wanted to know. He would have worried himself to death, blamed himself, cried for her perhaps, for his child.

Bella curled further in on herself.

He would have been proud.

She uncurled to take a swing from her bottle.

...Maybe not of her drinking in the Elvenking's dungeons, but he would have been proud, in a horrified kind of way.

At least she hoped he would have been...

"What happened?"

Her voice must have startled Dori. She felt him jump.

"What?"

"...With you and Nori."

The silver-haired dwarf immediately stiffened. He shrugged with a fake casualness.

"We are simply very different." Dori shuffled uncomfortably. "We disagree...we disagreed."

Bella leaned back against the bars to listen.

"Being so different...when hard times arose...we had different solutions to our problems. Made different calls."

"You disapprove of the choices he made..." Bella's words didn't come out as a question. "You believe him wrong?"

"He was young then." Dori took a swing of his drink. "He is no longer and yet his life decisions continue to cause me grief."

"So he is not what you wished him to be." She twisted around to stare at the dwarf. "But you are proud of him?"

Dori was silent so long that she thought he would not answer.

"Not of what he is." The dwarf said finally.

"...I was the one who failed, he was the one who made things right. Maybe not by savoury methods or by fair-play, but without him, Miss Baggins, Ori and I would not be here." Bella gaped at the confession.

"We have seen some harsh times, I couldn't stand up to them and support those I was entrusted with the responsibility for by my own means. He took on my failures and it was he who paid the price for them."

Dori's voice dropped to a whisper, and Bella heard the creaking of the glass bottle under his grip. "He was a child I was meant to be taking care of. It shouldn't have ended up being the other way around."

The dwarf shook his head. "I am proud, very very proud, but not -never- of the lies and ill gotten games and all manner of other things. He is a criminal. I said goodbye to my brother when things got better again and he didn't need to carry on with his ways but he did so anyway."

The passageway fell quiet again, and for some time Bella had nothing to say. She tried to digest all that she had heard. Slowly all the pieces were fitting together in her mind.

She pondered about this and that, and the more she drank the more her thoughts became scrambled and her emotions messed.

She found herself thinking of Thorin again (as she spent a lot of time doing these days) and to her surprise almost began to cry.

Dead.

Dead dead dead.

...But something inside her couldn't accept that. She just couldn't. She felt like something inside her might break if she did.

Bella felt tears welling up in her eyes.

When had these dwarves come to mean so much to her? When had he become so important in her life-?

"Hows the...the...the escape plan coming?"

"Huh?" Bella startled. "Oh. Oh!"

She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Yes, well! Very well!"

Dori had had enough to drink that he appeared to believe her. "Good! Good!"

"Yes it's going well. So well! We should all be out of here by...oh, I'd say by the day after next! No later than Tuesday, that's for sure!" Bella blabbered on, a voice somewhere in the back of her mind telling her that she didn't know what day it was, or when Tuesday would be.

"Good!" Dori kept saying. "Good! Good! I'll drink to that!"

He turned and raised his bottle to the bars and Bella raised hers to meet it. They met with a 'clink'.

Then the two of them went back to facing away from each other again and lifted their bottles to their lips. Dori took a big swing but Bella paused.

The escape plan wasn't going well. She didn't have an escape plan.

She knew all the dwarves had hoped her to have thought of something by this point. She had spent hours with Nori racking her brain for any way, any way at all.

Her conclusion: it was impossible.

There was absolutely no way out of the palace. No one escaped this place if the King did not wish it.

All the doors were guarded by both elves and magic, and even if they managed to get that far they would not out-run the elves in their own territory nor best them in a fight. Bella didn't want a fight anyway.

There were no secret passageways, not that Bella knew of. She had searched.

She had nothing.

The only things that got out of the Elvenking's halls were elves and empty storage barrels. The dwarves were neither of those things. Such a shame.

Bella frowned and stared down at the bottle she rolled in her hands.

Barrels... The river took them out.

She mused to herself for a while before the idea came to her all rather suddenly.

The barrels.

The empty barrels.

Carried out by the river.

Bella was on her feet in an instant, to her credit only wobbling slightly.

The barrels!

"That's it!" She exclaimed in excitement. "I've got it!"

"By valar, I do believe I've got it!" She cried to Dori and reached through the bars of the cell to snatch the bottle from the startled dwarf's hands.

"What-!?"

Bella had already started on her way by the time Dori had realised anything was happening. She turned on her heel.

"Stay right there!" She told the dwarf.

She had things to investigate.


	39. Chapter 39

Hiding in the storeroom was something Bella had done a lot of, but never before had she done so with such excitement.

She practically bounced. They could do this!

She slipped out of the door and back into the passageways.

The empty barrels were released into the river by the pull of a lever -she had seen it done before, and they were big enough that even Bombur should fit inside one.

They would make for a quick escape and would hopefully carry them far, perhaps even as far as the great lake Bella had once seen on Thorin's map. The river should carry them faster than the elves could travel.

If there was any way, Bella thought to herself, this was it.

It may be one of her madder ideas, but it was the best she had. It was all she had. They couldn't stay here.

Bella made her way through the passages, the idea in her mind to go and tell all the others as soon as possible. However, her head was rather fuzzy and on her way she took more than one wrong turn.

Before any great time had passed she found herself wandering down passages she did not recognise, but had surely walked down before after all of her wandering of late. With nothing to feed her excitement but empty passages she began to tire.

She let out a yawn. It was well into the night.

Perhaps...Perhaps telling the dwarves could wait until the morning.

She settled down behind some stone statue the elves had seen fit to place in a passage, and promptly fell asleep.

 

When she woke up it was to the half-light that day in the dungeons brought, and to the dull ache of her head. She sat up with a groan.

What had she been thinking?

She couldn't quite recall, but she wasn't about to go for any more elvish drink again.

She had been lucky. Very very lucky.

She could have ruined everything.

Getting to the storeroom from Dori's cell had been completely down to luck, as had not doing anything that would get her caught by the elves. She had been clumsy and not in the clearest of minds and she knew it.

She had risked a lot. It was a wonder her good fortune had lasted her so long.

Bella groaned again when she thought of Dori.

She might not have been caught, but if an elf had passed by the dwarf's cell late last night they might well have noticed something off about his state.

That would spell trouble.

She supposed the elves might simply pass it off as madness...

She should have really thought of this before...

Well, she had thought of it before. She just hadn't cared.

Before she had no hopes of finding an escape route, had already dismissed the idea. She hadn't had much to lose. Now, on the other hand...

One way or the other there was little she could do.

Bella sighed and pushed herself to her feet. She groaned.

Stone floors were never comfortable, but the position she had dropped off in had hardly helped either. Her muscles ached terribly, and she was disinclined to move very much. As fate would have it though, she would be exceedingly grateful that she slept so awkwardly that night, and so was slow to get going.

For while she was feeling sorry for her present state and stretching out her legs a pair of elves were making their way towards where she stood.

She heard them coming once they neared, and saw them when they turned a corner of the passage, on route to head straight past her location.

They were talking to each other, or rather, one was complaining loudly to the other.

"I'm at my wits end, Orodhil!" A dark-haired elf carrying an empty tray was saying, and Bella could declare with reasonable certainty that it was the dwarves that had brought him to such.

"Look! Look!" The unhappy elf attempted to show his shoulder to his light haired companion - the more composed elf continuing on without pause. "He threw his food at me, he did!"

Ah yes, definitely the dwarves. They would have already been given their breakfast then... They did tend to put up a fuss, nowadays-

"Told me to go kiss an orc!"

-they were not the politest of folk, in fact they were extremely bad mannered-

"And when I looked back at him and told him I wasn't allowed to fraternise with prisoners he threw his water jug at me!"

-and tended to break anything elvish they could get their hands on.

Bella felt sorry for the elves that had to deal with them.

"I only wish they would tell the king what he wants to know so we can be done with this!"

The elf's words didn't surprise Bella. It was not the first time she had heard the elves voice their distaste at having the dwarves around.

She saw the light-haired elf sigh and shake his head, and when he spoke Bella got the sense that he had listened to a lot of the likes. "What the king wants to know may not have a good answer, in which case there would be a good chance we would not be done with this."

The two of them passed by where Bella stood, and she held her breath for a few seconds out of instinct.

The dark-haired elf pulled a face that you would not catch an elf pulling where you not an elf yourself. Or invisible.

"Well they could at least act a bit grateful," He decided. "From what I've heard we practically saved them from starving to death!"

The exasperation in the light-haired elf's tone was noticeable, though whether it was because he too had had enough of the dwarves or whether he was simply fed up of his companion going on about it it could not be told.

"We've got them locked in our dungeons, Elras. Truth be it that it's probably for the best, you can't trust dwarves, but you also can't expect them to be happy about it." The light-haired elf responded. "Besides, there's more to this than simply trespassing."

Bella watched their backs with little interest as they continued on down the passage and slipped out from her resting place. She turned to make off in the other direction.

"The suspicions those dwarves are held under are likely rightfully placed...It is odd to see Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, so far from his people in the Blue Mountains, do you not think?"

Bella could have sworn her heart stopped right there and then, and then suddenly started again but going twice as fast. Her breath caught in her throat and a strangled choking noise escaped (which thankfully went unheard).

She spun around as quick as lightening to see the elves disappear around a turn in the passageway, and before she quite knew it she was running after them.

"He strays rather close to another oversized rock those dwarves have dwelt in. When it comes to leaders and live dragons such things cannot be ignored..."

It couldn't mean-! It couldn't possibly mean-!

She didn't know if she dared to hope-

"You think that is why they are here!?" Bella skidded down to a slower pace once she had the elves in sight again.

"When that beast came to Erebor it took thousands of lives! You really believe them so foolish as to think they can do what the kingdom's guards could not? Because as far as I count there are only thirteen dwarves locked in our dungeons!"

Bella's mind could hardly comprehend- Thirteen dwarves! Thirteen! -she was overcome by a wave of joy. Oh, it had been so long since she had had reason to be so happy! She could have sung!

Bella gave a hop and a skip. Oh, but she better listen and pay attention to not bump into any elves! She quickly tuned back in to the conversation the elves were having.

"Everyone thinks it. I'm pretty sure the King knew it the moment he set eyes on Durin's heir." The light hai- oh, Orodhil, wasn't it?- was saying.

"Besides," The elf muttered. "There may be more. They might yet expect to receive help from the Iron Hills. This likely goes further than a mere dozen or so dwarves..."

"We have no option but to keep them here until they admit the extent of their plans." He concluded, and his companion only snorted in a way Bella would have once never have believed elves would.

"That is all very well, but I'm the one that has to deliver his royal dwarf-ness and his band of merry dwarves their meals! We could at least set up a router-"

Bella had heard enough. She turned on her heel and left the elves behind her, heading back along the passageway to the place where she had slept.

She knew her way around the part of the dungeons where the company was kept. Here, however, she had not been before, and she did not know where the passage the elves had originally come from led. That left things open to two conclusions: either the dark-haired elf carrying the tray had just come from one of the dwarves she already knew the location of, in which case she would find herself somewhere she knew, or the passage would lead her to someplace completely new. To Thorin...

She passed her resting place and continued on, following the winding passage. She didn't know how she had never stumbled down it before, but supposed there were simply so many possibilities in the passages that it was very possible she had always missed it by chance.

Bella searched down side passages, in rooms -opened every door. It went on for quite a while, and she might well have gone around in a few circles, but she never lost her determination, not once.

And then so very suddenly, she turned a corner and he was there - she spotted him through the bars.

She froze as soon as she set her eyes on him, first in surprise and then because he was right in front of her but she could not trust what her eyes could see. She had pretty much thought the dwarf dead yesterday, had heard no word of him for so long. Who was to say this was not a dream? Her imagination simply playing with her desperation? Her mind was clouded with doubt.

"Thorin?"

Her voice cut through the empty quietness and the dwarf looked up.

He did not move from his place in his cell, but his eyes searched the area outside for any sign of somebody being there. He gave very little reaction to his name being spoken. Maybe he doubted his senses too.

He, of course, saw nothing when he looked out of his cell, but as his eyes travelled they passed over where Bella stood, and though he did not know it they met eyes. It was then that she knew it.

His eyes were blue, as they always had been.

He was colour. Somehow, somehow... None of her dreams had colour. Everything but the ring was grey, had been for days.

"Thorin!"

Suddenly she didn't care if she was seen or not, didn't care if she were caught -she yanked the ring from her finger as she rushed forward. She barely registered the veil of darkness being lifted and the weight on her mind being removed, she was so happy and overcome with relief. Alive! He was alive!

Thorin spotted her this time when he looked up. He was on his feet and met her at the bars in a matter of seconds.

"Bilbo!"

They grasped each other's forearms tightly through the gaps in the bars, and after a slight pause in which they simply looked at one another, both let out laughs of breathless relief.

Bella leaned into the cold metal bars. There was no fur coat for her to bury her head in -that was gone, but she pressed her face into the dwarf's shoulder as much as the bars would allow and grabbed fistfuls of his shirt. She fought the urge to cry.

This dwarf was such trouble: scaring the life out of her and worrying her ill. Bella took a shuddering breath. Stupid dwarves. Stupid dwarf - the most stupid of the lot. Her hair would go grey because of him.

Bella pulled herself together enough to take a step back, and she quickly began looking the dwarf over for signs of harm. She caught Thorin doing the same to her.

They met gazes again, and after a moment Thorin opened his mouth and spoke.

"You have no idea how good it is to see you, Bilbo Baggins." He murmured. "I thought my mind was merely making you up."

Bella would never admit how much she had missed the sound of his voice.

"I thought the same when I saw you." She confessed, and she shook her head with a small smile. "But I assure you I am quite real."

"And you are well?" The dwarf checked, a hint of concern leaking into his words.

"Yes, yes." Bella nodded vigorously. "I am well. Much better now actually, as I now know where all of my companions are."

A look of such overwhelming relief passed over the dwarf's face at her words, and his eyes lit up with hope.

"Everyone?" He asked eagerly. "Every single one of us?"

"Every single one of us!" It came out a mix between a laugh and a choked sob of thankfulness. "All of us are here!"

"How do my nephews fare?" The urgent question sprang from Thorin's lips with a sharp intake of breath. "How are Fili and Kili?"

"They are well, physically at least. The spiders did no lasting damage, and the elves have done them no harm." Bella reassured the dwarf, and his shoulders lost some of their tension.

"They are locked up nearer to all the others -you are rather set apart from them, if you weren't I would have found you sooner!" Bella shook her head slightly, annoyed at all the trouble and worry the elves' layout of their prisoners had caused them all.

"But Thorin," She spoke gravely, looking him in the eye. "They have taken your absence hard. We have had no sight or sign of you for two weeks and Thranduil made no mention of your presence here. They believe you are dead."

A pained expression crossed the dwarf's face at the idea of his sister's sons thinking such, and Bella knew without a doubt that he had gone through much similar to the boys. He had had no sight or sign of them either.

"You can speak with them?" He asked, and Bella nodded.

"Tell them I am well." He requested of her, and he undid the clasps in his hair and held them out for her to take. "Give them these as proof of it if you must."

Bella took the carved pieces of metal from the dwarf, giving them a quick glance over before slipping them into her pocket.

"I will." She promised with a nod.

"Now," The dwarf caught her eye. "Tell me everything."

And she did, from the time when she awoke in Mirkwood to find him gone all the way up until she had arrived in front of his cell.

She spoke about the battle the company had waged against the spiders, and how they had escaped only to be captured by elves and hauled in front of the woodland king. She told him rather briefly of the ring and how it had allowed her to escape unseen and enter the Elvenking's halls and remain undetected, (at which Thorin urged her to put it back on so as not to be caught if any elves came along). She recounted the confrontation with Thranduil and how they had told him nothing, but said she had recently heard that the woodland king had at least great suspicions of their goal.

She spoke of the company, and her voice was hoarse by the end.

The dwarf listened with rapt attention throughout, though his interest reached its peak when she came to the important recent development to their situation.

"I have a plan to get us out." She told him and his eyes lit up, but Bella shook her head at the expression that grew on his face.

"You're not going to like it."

 

It was with great joy and with the odd tear that Bella tactfully pretended she did not see that Thorin's nephews received word and proof of their uncle's residence in the palace. Bella enjoyed seeing them smile again – they hadn't done in quite some time.

She told the whole company that their leader was alive, and no matter how miserable each had been before the news she left every single one of them with a smile on their face and their spirits replenished.

In the end she told no one else of her plans for escape...

Bella did not know when her chance would come, if it would ever come, but it ended up coming a lot sooner than she could have ever have expected.

While the celebrations kicked off above them that night the few dungeon guards and the elves that worked in the store rooms drank plentifully.

Bella sat and watched as the keys to the cells were snatched away from their keeper by an elf called Galion and replaced with a bottle of the finest wine, and when she saw her chance she took it. She plucked the keys neatly from the hook they had been hung on and ran.


	40. Chapter 40

She went to Thorin first, running up to the bars and jamming keys into the lock until she found the right one.

By the time she had found it Thorin had gotten to his feet to investigate the noise, and the dwarf stood and stared as the door swung open to an empty corridor.

Bella slipped off the ring and appeared facing him, and a grin slowly slid over the dwarf's face. He didn't seem all that very surprised to see her there. He had not doubted she could get them out.

"Lovely place the Elvenking's got here, I have to admit." Bella allowed some nostalgia to edge into her voice, and sighed heavily as if burdened with a heavy heart.

The dwarf king set foot outside his cell for the first time in weeks.

"And I would have to disagree with you on that," He said with a smile in words. "But in any case I think we've seen all we need to see and stayed long enough."

"Well..." Bella sighed deeply again.

"I suppose..." She did not sound convinced, and stared longingly around the passage like she did not truly want to leave, but looked up at Thorin as he stepped closer.

He laughed and slapped her on the shoulder.

"Let's go, master burglar, lead on."

 

And so Bella found herself hurrying through the empty passages that night with a dwarf in tow to where the other members of the company were being kept.

It should have been harder getting there when they couldn't both just disappear, but there were no elves around to catch them, and she navigated them through the tunnels without fault.

They reached the others quickly.

The first cell they came to was Kili's, and when he set eyes on them he gave a gasp of shock.

Bella had given him and his brother news of their uncle earlier that day of course, and had presented them with the clips, but it was a different thing altogether for him to be told and for him to see for himself. The young dwarf practically threw himself at his uncle the moment Bella had his door open, and Thorin made no move to push him away.

Bella felt like she was intruding, and though the sight was heart warming she was also anxious to keep moving and carry everything out with as little time lost as possible. But thankfully they did not linger too long, and were soon on the move again.

The next along was Bofur, and he was very happy indeed to be let out.

He pulled Bella into a hug as soon as he was free and spun her around with a whoop. Then he set her down and tried to do the same to Kili, but found the young dwarf's feet only dragged on the floor when he did so, so settled for pulling him around in a spinning dance instead.

He then turned to a stop in front of Thorin and paused. The miner would not usually mess around so directly in front of the company leader. To Bella's surprise though the dwarf king chuckled and patted the hatted dwarf on the back as he passed him. Bofur grinned.

Within a few minutes later Bombur was also with them and Bofur had given another joyful greeting.

The large dwarf acknowledged Bella, Thorin and Kili with a nod and a warm smile, and offered Bella his gracious thanks for freeing him. Bella locked his cell door behind him as she had all the others before and the five of them went on.

Oin was asleep when they got there, snoring away as most likely all the dwarves would be at this time. But unlike the others Bella had picked up so far he did not wake at the sound of the keys, and so got quite a shock when they shook him awake. He didn't quite believe them at first when they claimed they were all of them there and they were not just a dream, but they soon convinced him and had him on his feet and out of his cell. 'Wouldn't want to stay even if this was a dream...bloody elves.' And then they were six.

When they got to Fili it was difficult to get Kili away from the bars enough to open up the cell, and when they did so the brothers clung to each other so tightly Bella thought they might never let go.

If they had been left to their own devices they might well have not, but Thorin pulled them apart.

He held them both close with an arm around each and no one said a word.

Bella smiled with her head half turned away. Seven.

When they came to Dori the silver-haired dwarf's eyes searched their group wanting to see his brothers, but they had yet to free Ori or Nori, and his mouth would remain in a firm straight line until he saw them for himself. He thanked Bella as she locked his cell behind him and the group moved on. Eight.

Nori grinned that grin of his when they appeared outside his cell, and he walked out and congratulated Bella.

There was a rather awkward moment when Nori met eyes with Dori in which both brother's faces remained carefully blank and neither of them made to move to greet the other like other brothers in the company had. It was dutifully interrupted by Bofur however, who took what could have been Dori's place if things were different and slung an arm around the dwarf's shoulders and started blabbering away about how truly awful the Elvenking's hospitality was. Bella caught Dori's eye as they headed off. Nine.

Balin was welcomed, chuckling and shaking his head in disbelief, into their midst.

"Didn't tell me anything!" He waggled his finger at Bella and tutted. "Kept this all quiet!"

He smiled widely. "Well done, Mr Baggins! Well done!"

Bella had a bit of trouble unlocking Dwalin's cell - she fumbled with the keys, and things were only made worse when Thorin tried to help. She had to smack his hands away, but finally she got the door open and Dwalin could be greeted by his brother and the company leader.

Dwalin slung an arm around Fili and Kili and laughed and they moved on.

Nine, ten...

Ori -precious little Ori- came out of his cell with a sweet excited smile on his face.

"Thank you Mr Baggins!" He hurried to embrace Dori, then to both of his brother's surprise did the same to Nori.

Bifur was overjoyed to see them, his cousins especially so. He chattered away animatedly to them, and they all nodded and agreed with whatever he was saying. His mind seemed to become clearer than it had been in days, and he looked much more well for having Bombur and Bofur by his sides.

Gloin greeted them with a cry of triumph, and met his brother with a fierce hug.

Eleven, twelve, thirteen.

Bella regarded the group of dwarves she had gathered. They were all together again.

 

She led them all to the store room where the elves thankfully still slept in an alcohol induced slumber.

They asked innumerable questions.

'Where are we going, Mr Baggins?'

'How are we going to get out?'

'What's the plan again?'

They continued to bother Bella until they reached their destination.

She began to get irritable. The night was not young by far. The celebrations above had not started until late at night when the stars were well risen, and while it had not taken long from their beginning for the elves in the store room to start drinking it had taken some time before they were drunk enough that Bella had felt it safe to take the keys. Freeing all the dwarves had not been a short task either...

Bella estimated dawn was not all that very long away, if it hadn't already come. The elves' party would be over by now, and soon someone would come looking.

'What we doing here?'

'Shouldn't we be somewhere else?'

She was hard pressed to keep them quiet so as not to wake the elves.

Bella held her breath as one of the fair beings shifted in their slumber only to settle again.

"Get inside the barrels." She turned and hissed, pointing to the pile lined up waiting to go.

As expected she was met with a lot of blank faces.

"What?"

"Get inside them, do as I say!" She resisted the urge to stamp her foot.

They all stared at her, probably thinking either her to be jesting or to have gone slightly mad. Bella would admit it probably did sound a rather strange thing to do, but she really didn't have time for them to have their doubts about it. They didn't move an inch until Thorin barked out 'what are you standing around for?' and pushed past them to the barrels.

After that they were all quick to follow and climb inside. All they had really needed was a little push. If their leader was going with it...

It was easy enough for most, but a struggle for some -Bombur had to be given a hand.

"What now?" Bofur asked once everyone was inside a barrel.

Bella, who had backed away to the lever which released the barrels, opened her mouth unsure as to what to say. She didn't particularly want to confess to them what she was about to do.

"Hold your breath." Thorin thankfully supplied, holding her eye for a few moments before giving her a nod.

Bella gulped slightly and gave a nod back.

"Hold me breath!?"

She pulled down the lever with a great heave, and in the back of her mind she noted the sounds of a commotion occurring somewhere back in the passages – the elves had discovered the dwarves were missing.

The barrels started to roll and the dwarves gave exclamations of surprise, but there was nothing they could do about it of course.

Bella watched them go tumbling down and heard each of them hit the water below. Splash! Splash! Splash!

She glanced over her shoulder at the door of the store room, the noise in the passages grew near, and summoning all her courage Bella went running down the wooden slope after the dwarves.

For once her footfalls fell heavily, the wood creaked as she ran, and then suddenly there was nothing beneath her feet but air.

There was a few split seconds of falling, then she plunged into the freezing cold water.

It was freezing and dark and all the breath was knocked out of her. She fought for the surface and wished she was a stronger swimmer.

A hand found the back of her coat and began helping her up, and as she neared the surface more hands joined it. She was heaved out of the water and dumped into a waiting empty barrel.

There she righted herself, coughing and spluttering a bit and gasping for air. The barrel bobbed about as she got to her knees to peer over the rim.

Dwalin and Ori both had a hand on the side of her barrel, keeping it steady.

Many of the dwarves seemed torn between looking slightly mutinous and oh so very happy to be out. Above them the trap door had already closed.

"Nice of you to join us." Thorin said to her before motioning them on, and off they went down the river, heading away from the Elvenking's halls.

 

They navigated their way through the tunnel that lead them out into the outside air and open river.

It was cold, and there was not much to be heard but the sound of the rushing water. The sky was grey with a dim light and the horizon shone: dawn had begun.

The water swirled and raced, and their little fleet of barrels were carried by it further and further.

After not long they reached a part in the river where the water rushed and seemed to disappear. A call of panic went through the company as what must be a fall approached, but they were helpless to do anything to prevent themselves going over.

One by one the barrels approached and then disappeared.

Bella let out a squeal as her barrel went over, and her stomach dropped with the barrel. But it only went down a meter or two before splashing back into the water and continuing on, the fall only being a small drop in the rocky river bed.

Bella gave a great sigh of relief.

"Well that could have been worse!" She heard Bofur comment as he floated by.

Bella had to agree – she'd expected a rougher ride.

Oh-!

Bella's eyes widened. Oh no!

She gazed in horror at the river ahead - a much faster, rougher, more dangerous looking river than was behind, full of rapids and so many chances of being thrown out and drowned. Her mouth, despite the wetness of her face, went dry.

Dwalin pointed a shaking finger at the hatted dwarf as his barrel was carried past by the growing current. "Oh, just you wait. Just you wait! I'm gonna kill you!"

Before the river really picked up though it seemed there was a last gate they must pass through. A stone look out was built over the river - the water passed under it.

Bella cursed, and she heard similar from others nearby. On it stood what were, even at this distance, unmistakably elves.

From back at the palace came the sound of horns being blown. The alarm of their escape had been raised.

Was it worth trying to duck down and hide, hoping that they would not be noticed? Bella doubted elves would be so unobservant.

In any rate the two guards were already shouting and rushing from their stationary posts.

The barrels swept ever closer, and Bella realised with a terrible sinking feeling what the guards were doing. A lever not unlike the one that had set the barrels free into the river lowered thick metal bars into the water beneath the bridge, creating a barrier through which the barrels could not pass.

No! Bella's mind was blank of everything but dread and dismay. This couldn't happen now, she couldn't have failed! No no no!

She was jostled around and splashed by the speeding river, but over the noise she heard the shouts of the dwarves.

Closer and closer. The first of the barrels were carried under the bridge and bashed into the bars. There they stayed, trapped for others to smash into them from behind. Bella's barrel went crashing into Kili's. One by one their company was regrouped.

The elves could see them clear as day, and though they were surprised to see the dwarves in the barrels they were quick to recover. They were armed with spears and other weapons and held the high ground.

This was it, Bella thought as she stared up at the white-blond elves in their shining silver armour, bedraggled and upset. This was where they were dragged back to the palace. This was the end of it-

Thud! Thud!

Bella could not hold back a scream. Her hand flew to cover her mouth in horror as the guards fell down dead.

Her gaze was transfixed at where they had a second before stood, tall and firm, before they were both pierced by arrows through gaps in their armour and hit the ground. She had not witnessed any but orcs killed before that moment, and the suddenness and harshness of their end shocked her to the very core.

She only half heard the noise made by the dwarves around her, she did not have chance to register any reaction but her own.

Someone near to her was saying something loudly. Someone's barrel was jostling against hers. Someone was shouting: Orcs! Orcs!

Orcs.

Bella turned her head away to look back along the river, her blood already beginning to run cold.

And there they were. An ugly addition to forest to say the least.

She had seen them kill now – before she had not thought she could hate them more but oh she did.

They came along the riverside, appearing from between the trees roaring and baring weapons. The blood of the dwarves was their goal.

And the company... Well, they were pretty much defenceless, weren't they? They had no weapons on them, everything had been taken away from them by the elves, and Bella had given no thought to locating them arms, too focused was she on getting the dwarves out.

She had Sting. Nori still had a small knife that wouldn't be much use against a pack of orcs. The others had nothing.

There was understandable panic.

"Open the gate! Someone-! Quick!" Bella heard Ori cry, and as one of the closest to the bank she began struggling to climb out of her barrel to land.

No sooner than she had put a hand on the bank however, a monstrous great orc came leaping onto the lookout with a tremendous roar and she froze dead still, eyes wide with terror.

There was the sound of horrified intakes of breath behind her- Thud!

The orc fell down on the stone bridge as the two elvish guards had done not a minute before, an arrow embedded in its forehead.

A loud murmur from the company followed its death, and as Bella turned once again to look back along the river she realised that they were not alone with the orcs.

Not far along the bank elven warriors twisted and turned and leapt with silver blades, taking down the orcs that still headed towards the stationary company.

Arrows flew, and though the pack drew closer they were picked off quickly with the upmost efficiency. They dropped like flies.

Bella might have rejoiced then, putting faith in the fighting skills of the elves and that the company would be saved. But orcs were not just coming from the direction of the palace: some, like the one that had been shot down on the lookout, came from down-river, and they were now beginning to arrive in numbers.

The second of the creatures to reach them had Nori's throwing knife in its stomach before anyone else had even really begun to react. It toppled over the edge of the bridge and fell down at them, splashing into the water through a gap between their barrels. Bifur lunged to retrieve its weapon before it sank.

Then a third was up there, and a fourth and a fifth, sixth and seventh and so on, and it was really beginning to look hopeless when suddenly an elf leapt on to the bridge, their foot colliding with an unwitting orc.

The attentions of the foul creatures were turned away from the company, and Bella blinked and stared up in surprise at their apparent saviour.

The elf had broken away from those further down the river, and immediately engaged the orcs on the look-out in battle. The orcs themselves were caught a little off guard by the sudden change in situation, though they did not hesitate long to begin attacking the elf once the fair being began cutting them down.

With the focus taken off them the company stood more of a chance: most of the orcs arriving went straight for the elf instead of them. They posed a slightly difficult target for the orcs – the banks of the river made it a bit hard to get any of the members of the company within arms swing, and it thankfully did not seem to occur to the filthy creatures to throw their weapons.

Any orcs that got close the company dealt with however they could, (at the start what got them through was luck and orcish misjudgement), but from those orcs they did take down they managed to snatch orcish weapons to use, which greatly eased their fight.

From then the fight was a lot more comfortable: between the elf and the dwarves chucking orcish weapons around they held their own. For every orc that arrived one was taken down.

At some point an orcish arrow hit a member of the companys' barrel, but it caused them no injury and no more followed it, so it was quickly forgotten.

Bella clutched Sting, though apart from taking the odd swipe she did not use it. She held it before her mostly for the comfort of knowing she was not defenceless.

Though she perhaps should have concentrated on other things, Bella found her eyes following the elf that had come to their aid.

The elf slipped in and out between the orcs, agile and light on her feet as elves were, and though she -for of course, 'she', it was: it was a female elf that stood between them and their deaths- faced unfavourable odds she never faltered, and Bella watched in awe.

It seemed she was unbeatable: an invincible maiden of battle that could never be brought down by an enemy's blade.

She danced a deadly dance, swift and sure with her movements, taking down orc after orc with her knives.

She was, to Bella, incredible to behold. Her skill was clear by the way she fought and the number of opponents she took on.

She was not reckless, nor did Bella believe her fearless, but she was confident in herself that she would not misjudge, and it was almost as if she had another sense to guide her through her opponents blades-

Bella's barrel was sent rocking violently as the body of a dead orc hit its side.

"Whoa!" Kili did his best to steady his barrel while ducking down as Gloin hurled an orcish blade over his head.

The wave of attackers was slowing, they were winning.

Looking back Bella could see the elves along the river side too were close to victory.

Bella felt the relief begin to set in. The venture had not gone well, but it could have ended so much worse.

She took it upon herself to be grateful, for it certainly seemed no more death would come at the hands of the orcs than had already been dealt, that they would live to see another day, even if that day was spent in King Thranduil's dungeons. Only half a dozen or so orcs remained unslain at the look-out.

It seemed it was so close to being over, that there were no more orcs left to come – she couldn't see any making their way along the riverside.

Yes.

It did seem that way.

And then the elf that fought for them on the bridge, strong and fair and graceful with a head of flaming orange hair, fell.

 

Bella saw it happen.

She saw the arrow fly.

It came from nowhere, and the elf was just not quick enough, was just a fraction too slow. There was too much going on for her to see it coming.

It stuck her in the leg, just above her knee, and Bella saw her shock - the look of surprise that swept across her fair face.

She saw her pain and heard her cry out, and as if in slow motion stumble.


	41. Chapter 41

A sound of horror escaped Bella's mouth as she watched the elf drop to her knees. There were still orcs on the look-out, and though being few in number they still posed a deadly threat to the elf and the company.

"Kili-!" Bella gave a startled call, reaching out as the young dwarf began clambering out of his barrel beside her and on to land. He paid her no mind. Her fingers closed around air.

"Get back here yer idiot!" The chorus came.

Bella's heart hammered in her chest as she watched him scramble up the muddy bank.

"Kili!" The young dwarf turned momentarily to catch the weapon thrown up to him.

The elf was not far from them, and the orcs not much further away than her. They bore in on her with a sickening sort of glee, terribly happy to have brought the warrior down.

Or at least- they thought she was down.

Bella thought she was down... Until she proved herself very not down.

Though temporarily forced to the ground the elf-warrior was not yet finished with the orcs, and as they advanced she lunged forward at the nearest with her twin silver knives, slitting its throat with one, and with a battle cry twisting to plunge her second into another.

She dropped back onto her knees again but even then she was calculating her next attack. Bella could see her preparing to make a move as yet another orc came at her- but in the end she did not need to.

Kili felled the oncoming beast in one shift movement. It's head flew down the bank.

Bella's view of the dwarf was somewhat obstructed by the bank and the bridge and the bobbing of the barrels as he stood between the elf and the orcs, but she saw the swing of his sword and his twists and turns. She also saw that the elf behind him was ready to move should the dwarf's skill in battle prove inadequate. But the orcs came and he cut them down -one, two, three, four- until there were no more left.

Bella twisted around in her barrel to look back up river. More orcs were coming...but the elves were closer and more and more of them were arriving. She turned back to where Kili stood over the elf, paused with his sword held loosely at his side.

"Kili!" Thorin called and the young dwarf looked up, seeing what Bella and the rest of the company saw. This was their chance. Take it now or leave it.

With a moment's hesitation and another glance at the elf, the dwarf lunged for the lever of the gate holding them back. There was a great creaking of metal, and then both Kili and the elf disappeared from view as Bella's barrel was swept under the bridge and through the gate.

"Woaaha!"

Bella was thrown back and forth as her barrel was carried down a drop. A wave of water hit her face and she ended up coughing and spluttering and blinking water from her eyes.

By the time her vision had cleared her barrel had already been caught by the strong currents and was being carried quickly downstream. She found herself facing backwards towards the lookout.

She caught sight of Thorin and Fili still back at the gate, and over the crashing of the river went up the shout of 'Kili!'.

And then the dwarf appeared, careering off the lookout with a giant leap which Bella hoped landed him in his waiting barrel, but she missed due to heavy spray. She did not get much of a look back after that.

The river was much rougher than it had been closer to the Elven King's palace. They were all thrown about, and it was all she could do to stay in. There was spinning and crashing and sometimes she thought her barrel would go under, or else be smashed to pieces against a rock. Water was thrown up everywhere, and she was forced down inside the barrel where she coughed and spluttered and chocked and was bashed about like- well, like a hobbit stuck in a barrel heading at high speed down an angry river.

She had water in her ears and for the majority of the time she couldn't see. Sometimes the sounds of fighting managed to be heard through the rushing of the river and her blocked ears, and when they did she could hear orcs and the shouts of the dwarves.

She vaguely registered in moments of clarity and slight breaks from barrel turbulence that the elves were still around, and at one point she briefly managed to get her head above the edge of the barrel, only to almost lose it as an orc swung a blade from a tree over-hanging the water.

Bella sunk back down and tried to breathe. Stay down, Bella. Just stay where you are.

An arrow lodged itself in her barrel right in front of her eyes and she let out a squeal, legs scrambling to push herself further against the opposite side and away from the sharp point poking through the wood at her. Another hit just a bit lower than the first with a 'thunk' that was swallowed by the noise of the river.

Being thrown about inside a barrel was all the more terrifying when one was also desperately trying to avoid being stabbed by pointy things.

Bella cut her hand and cracked her head back against wood, but the cold water made everything numb. She saw watery blood on her hand and knew she had hit her head hard when she looked up through the spray at the sky above her barrel and saw Bombur fly through the air.

 

Bella did not know when the fighting stopped, or even when the river turned calm, for she felt as if she was swaying back and forth violently even after popping her head over the edge of the barrel to take a look proved the current gentle and calm.

"Oi, Bilbo!" Nori's barrel bobbed fifteen yards further down river.

Bella groaned, soaked and bruised...but alive. She was alive. How she'd survived that and not ended up drowned was a mystery to her. She gave Nori a shaky thumbs up and it was returned. He began paddling against the current.

There were no other barrels in front of hers but Nori's, but looking back she could count several further behind. They had drifted apart during their journey down river. She thought she could hear Dwalin and caught a glimpse of Gloin's red hair. Apart from the muffled sound of the dwarves it was quiet. The river was peaceful. There were no orcs, no elves.

"Lovely day for a river trip, eh, Mr Baggins?" Nori had enough left in him for a chuckle. He reached out a hand and caught hold of the edge of her barrel.

Bella didn't have the energy to grumble. She let the expression on her face speak for her.

"Come on, I was getting bored of floating about anyway."

They had reached a place where the river was wide and shallowed into a shore at one stony bank, and with the current slow it was not too much of a feat for Nori to slip out of his barrel and tug Bella's along, first swimming, then walking. He dragged her until the bottom of her barrel hit the river bed.

"Don't think I'm carrying you up the bank as well." He said, but pretty much lifted her out of the barrel anyway.

Bella stood on shaky legs, trembling only partly from chill in the knee-deep water. Urgh. She wanted her fireplace.

They waded out, bedraggled and carrying the faint taste of mud in their mouths.

By the time they had had a quick look around Dwalin and Oin were making their way out of the water, Gloin not far behind.

Within five minutes ten dwarves perched on the rocks on the bank, empting their boots of water and laying out their wet coats. Fili was helping Kili ungracefully out of his barrel and Thorin was dragging his feet up the bank (but King's didn't drag their feet, of course, how could Bella forget?). Kili tumbled out with a splash.

"Why, I do believe you're looking slightly green, Thorin." Bella met him at the water's edge. "Too many twists and turns?"

He gave a half-hearted grunt as he passed. Bella turned her attention his nephews. "You boys okay?"

She felt completely drained, though they seemed to have more left in them than her.

Yes, they nodded as they scrambled out. "Cleaner than I've ever been, Mr Baggins!"

Bella's shoulders slumped slightly as they lost some of their tension. "That I shall believe."

Somehow, by some miracle, they had all made it relatively unharmed. Bella hoped she would never have to make another escape plan ever again...

"We need to move." Thorin spoke up not ten minutes later when presumably his world had stopped spinning and he had regained much of his colour. His voice rudely jolted Bella back to the world and away from the edge of slumber.

Bella gave a groan from the rock she was sprawled over. Beside her Ori dejectedly poured the last of the water from his boots and tugged them back on.

The company had rung the water from their clothes and hair in relative silence, but in the end it had to be broken. They couldn't stay and Bella had known it when she had lay down, but that didn't mean she had to be happy about it.

"How many do you think?" Dwalin asked as he got to his feet.

"I cannot say. None, if the elves have any competence."

Bella snorted and sat up. "There were too many of them."

"Aye," Balin agreed. "There will be stragglers, and if they follow us still they will not be too far behind."

"Weapons?" Thorin addressed the group.

A few of the company had been able to keep hold of blades seized during the journey down the river. The orcish weapons were held up with levels of great disgust. (Eww, orc germs!)

Dwalin snatched up a decently sized fallen tree branch from the ground.

Bella half-heartedly held up Sting while Ori slipped a small boulder into one of his pockets.

Thorin passed a sword-like blade from one hand to the other. "We follow the river, keep a sharp eye."

"Aye." The company nodded.

"Ah! Ah!" Bella looked to Fili, who was on his back tugging at one of his boots. It made for an odd sight. 'King Fili,' Bella tested in her mind. 'Fili, son of-'

"Ah ha!" The dwarf exclaimed in victory. He threw his hand up in the air for them all to see.

A small dagger glinted in the sunlight. "Ta daa!"

"Well that'll save us." Muttered Gloin as he turned to begin trudging down the river, shaking his head.

Bella snorted as Fili got to his feet and the others made to follow Gloin.

"Oh damn and blast!" Everyone froze.

"What is it with people," Gloin growled, glaring up at the man blocking his path. "And pointing their arrows in ma face!"


End file.
